The Music Box
by Locke on wood
Summary: This is the back story of Danielle Rousseau and her science team and how they came to be marooned on the Lost island. Rated M for violence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She opened her eyes slowly. Light streamed through a small window above and to the right of where she lay. A soft smile lingered on her lips as she felt a fluttering movement. Her hand went unconsciously to her bulging belly as she felt the form of her baby move against it. Contentment flowed through her as she felt the slow rocking of the waves. Her mind drifted in the twilight sea of sleep as the tune of La Mer wafted through her dreams.

A voice interrupted her reverie. "Happy anniversary, my dear."

She stretched slightly and opened her eyes. Her eyes crinkled with delight. "You are awake." She rolled over and stared amorously into eyes that glimmered with guile. "What are you up to?"

He sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed as he reached for his shirt. "Whatever makes you think I am hiding something, my dear?"

"Oh I know you cannot be trusted," she said with mock seriousness as she sidled up to him and kissed his neck.

"My dear," he said as he turned his head to catch her eye. "I could never hide anything from you. You know that." She kissed him again for his confession. "I have something for you, " he stated as if changing the subject. She rolled her eyes and pulled the blanket around herself as he stood and opened a drawer near the bed.

He pulled a box out of the drawer and placed it on the small table near the bed. A grin enveloped her face as she opened the box and pulled a music box out of it. She opened the box to reveal a petite statuette of a ballerina spinning gracefully to pretty music. He stood with a satisfied look in his eyes as she admired the gift. "It's lovely, Robert," she gushed.

"Well, I'm glad you like it!" he said with satisfaction.

"I love it!"

"We should be back in Tahiti in about three days and when we get there, I've got something else in store for you."

"You spoil me."

Robert sat on the edge of the bed again and took her hand. "Well, with the baby on the way we really need to get you back to a more comfortable existence. I don't know how you talked me into bringing you on this latest expedition."

She pushed him playfully with her free hand. "You think I wanted to stay at home pregnant while you sailed the ocean without me? What if you shipwrecked? Our child would never know her father."

Robert laughed, "You have a point there and you're always right!" He kissed her. "I better go to the bridge and make sure the crew doesn't have us sailing off the edge of the ocean."

"I'll be up in a moment," she promised as she watched him stand and leave the room. She rewound the music box and watched dreamily as the ballerina twirled on its miniature stage.

She opened the door to the wheelhouse and stepped inside carefully sipping her coffee. Robert was distracted enough not to notice her entrance. He and Montand were huddled over the chart table studying the map. "There is nothing there," Robert was saying emphatically.

"Listen, I'm just saying we should have a look. It shouldn't delay us more than a day." Montand straightened up and folded his arms as if had been decided. Robert noticed her standing just inside the door. She smiled at her and he smiled back. Montand followed Robert's gaze to her. "Bonjour, Danielle."

"So what did you find, Montand?" Danielle asked.

"We came across an anomalous signal this morning. I'm trying to convince Robert that we should investigate. Robert doesn't want to delay our transit to Tahiti." Montand raised his eyebrow at Robert.

Robert shifted uneasily not wanting to appear overprotective of Danielle. "I don't see the value in it. What would we accomplish? It means nothing. Besides, why postpone our arrival in Tahiti?"

"Well, what kind of signal are you talking about? Was it a distress signal?" Danielle asked, ignoring Robert's agitation.

"It was a voice message repeating a series of numbers on a continuous loop. Listen to this." Montand moved toward the radio and flipped a switch.

"8 . . . 15 . . . 16 . . . 23 . . . 42 . . . 4 . . . 8 . . . 15 . . . 16 . . . 23 . . . 42 . . 4 . . . 8 . . . 15 . . . 16 . . . 23 . . . 42 . . . 4 . . . 8 . . . 15 . . . 16 . . . 23 . . . 42 . . ."

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know." Montand noted some interest in Danielle's question and pounced on it. "It is intriguing though, isn't it? A mysterious message coming from an uncharted sector of ocean."

Robert could see that Danielle was mulling it over and recognized the look in her eyes. She had always been one for adventure and he had always felt guilty for being overprotective of her. He wanted her to be happy. But he also didn't want to see her get hurt. He walked a fine line. His instinct was to keep her confined in the safety of his arms. But he knew in his heart that if he tried to hold her back, she would be miserable. Robert also realized that Montand was aware of this dynamic and felt frustrated when he used it to manipulate the situation. "I just have a bad feeling about it," Robert finally said in defeat. Montand really was incorrigible.

"You were saying it would only delay us by about a day?" Danielle asked setting her coffee on the table. Montand nodded. "I don't see the harm in it, Robert," she said in an earnest voice.

Robert's acquiescence was complete. "If it is something you want to do, then I guess it will be alright, my dear."

Montand could see that he had won and smiled with some swagger. "Let's change course then." He clapped his hands together and turned to make it so.

Robert and Danielle's eyes met and she flashed a smile at him. He figured it would be okay. It really wouldn't delay them that much and it would make Danielle happy. Robert smiled back at her.

Robert and Danielle met at the University of Quebec in 1985. Danielle had transferred from The University of Rijeka in Croatia to Canada to pursue her doctorate. Robert was a research associate with his office at the oceanography center at Rimouski, Canada. It didn't take long for her to catch his notice. There was something intriguing about her, something that the other women he had dated didn't have. The adventurous spirit she held in her eyes drew him in. She was independent, but also vulnerable.

He was a romantic at heart and felt a yearning to protect her though she didn't need protection. It was a common theme in his relationships. He was attracted to strong self-sufficient women, but he had an underlying urge to shield them from danger. This dichotomy often disrupted any long-term romances. But that wasn't the case with Danielle. She put on an air of obliviousness to his protectiveness, but deep down she respected his motives for what they were.

They were married the next year and things seemed to be going well for them. Before long Robert was selected for a professorship at the newly formed French University of the Pacific. Danielle was more ecstatic than Robert. He was thrilled with the prospect of his career taking off, but it was tempered with his natural worry for Danielle. "We will have a research vessel at our disposal and they are giving me full autonomy for picking my own research assistants," he had told her after being extended the job.

She had thrown her arms around him at the news. "I have some news of my own. You're going to be a father!"

He pulled back enough to look into her eyes and reveled with her at the news. Then he hesitated as it sank in. He was going to be moving his pregnant wife to a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and she was going to want to be involved in his research. She saw the look in his eye and smirked at him. "I'm sure they have hospitals in Tahiti," she had stated.

Robert treated it like a question. "Of course, my dear, not to worry, they have fine medical facilities in Tahiti. It is a very modern place," he had said to reassure himself more than her.

Things went smoothly in their transition to the island. They found a residence in Papeete, and she got a job working with a research group involved with non-linear physics. She had used her influence on Robert to have him include her on this latest voyage despite the fact that she was 7 months pregnant. He had learned to push his fears of losing her deep below the surface, but it was starting to get difficult to hide it anymore. He was counting the hours until they landed in Tahiti. He couldn't wait to have her safely at home. At home where he had more control over her defenses.

The storm arrived faster than any Danielle had imagined in her short time as a seafarer. It had been calm throughout the morning and early afternoon, but dusk arrived sooner than expected. The foreboding clouds in the distance gave little warning as they rushed across the sky like a torrential mountain stream after the first spring melt. The water fell in sheets that made visibility nil. The deck moved in undulating motions below her feet and made her instinctually want to move to the center of gravity of the ship.

Her cabin that she shared with Robert was on the upper deck, which exacerbated the swaying motion she felt. She was grateful that sea legs had come naturally to her. As she made her way down the passageway toward the ladder that led to the engine room, she saw Brennan. His partially concealed form was braced in the corner against the bulkhead at the foot of the ladder that led up to the bridge.

He looked his natural calm. His gray eyes were steady in the almost blank stare others that knew him were accustomed to. He noticed Danielle as she approached and he allowed a small smile to crawl across his lips. It looked to her as if he were expecting her and this piqued her curiosity even more. "Hello, Dani."

She shuddered inwardly. Brennan had always given her the creeps. She didn't know why he did. Perhaps it was the counterfeit politeness that he always showed her. His mouth smiled, but it never spread to his eyes; the cold calculating eyes that stared through her without blinking. She found her mind wandering to the primal pit of her nightmares as she stared back. She reached for the handrail. The silent deadlock of his gaze was broken as she looked at the deck. "Some storm, eh?"

The distant smile never left his lips. "This kind of thing isn't that uncommon in this part of the world." He finally allowed himself to glance up the ladder toward the bridge. "What brings you out in a storm like this?"

"I was going to the engine room to see if Girard needed assistance." It was a half lie, she was interested in how the engines were holding up. It wasn't uncommon for her to bombard the ship engineer with questions about how the equipment in the machinery spaces worked. Brennan appeared slightly bored with her answer. He bought it, she thought. Lies came easily around him. His personality seemed to foster them. She hadn't wanted to give Brennan any occasion to find a weakness in her.

The scene suddenly seemed out of place to her. Something wasn't right. Her brow creased as she forgot her qualms and ventured a searching look into his vacant eyes. It was now obvious that he was hiding something. This time when he met her gaze, his normally guarded eyes gave it away. He could tell that she saw it. He fought the urge to look up the ladder again and clenched his teeth instead. After a moment his manner changed almost imperceptibly. It was as if his mind had decided upon something. "Robert wanted me to divert you. He didn't want you to be worried what with all that is going on." He wasn't talking about the storm.

She set her jaw and pulled herself along the handrail to the foot of the ladder. In her pregnant state, she was barely able to squeeze past Brennan. His duty completed, Brennan made his way forward and abandoned his post.

Whatever worry the storm had brought was bolstered with the expectation of something far worse. The door at the top of the ladder was open and she made her way onto the bridge. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. The normal banter between the two men was replaced by a palpable hopelessness.

When Robert turned his eyes to her, the fear she saw there shook her to the very core. Montand was grim as well. "It started just before the storm hit," he began. "The compass was going haywire."

Robert returned his gaze to the window as Montand spoke. It was darker than night out there. He had a look of utter failure about him. Montand continued. "The rest of our instrumentation went out shortly afterwards. During one of the lightning flashes we saw what looked like an island. The storm is blowing up toward it."

"We are going to die," Robert interrupted. His voice seemed hauntingly detached from his lips. "If we catch our hull on a reef with the wind pushing us around like it is . . ." His voice trailed off.

Danielle opened her mouth to respond, but she never got her words out. She was startled by a loud artificial sounding howl. Her mind went to the main engines, but it didn't sound right. It sounded horribly wrong. Then the unmistakable sound of metal tearing. The ship immediately listed to starboard with enough violence to throw them all to the deck. After a beat, the lights went out.

Danielle tried to get her bearings in the pitch-blackness, but it was useless. Something heavy impacted the back of her head and she fell to the deck again. She reached her hand to her head and felt wetness there. She felt herself spinning into what seemed to be an abyss of confusion and then she felt nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

She awoke to the sound of waves breaking on the rocks. There was a slow ache at the base of her skull and she felt subdued. It seemed as if a great chasm separated her from wakefulness. She was disconnected from her limbs. It took some concentration, but she was finally able to move her hand to her belly. She hoped to feel the baby moving. Perhaps if she could feel the baby move, her consciousness could surface and get her across the abyss.

There was no alarm at the lack of movement, but it made her realize that she really had no idea what time it was. She had noticed the baby had fallen into a sleep pattern. The baby must be sleeping, she thought.

The sound of a distant seagull changed her course of thought. She tried to think back to the last thing she remembered. Her mind zeroed in on the strange sound she had heard just before . . . before what? Where was she at the time? Confusion fogged her mind. She recalled being uneasy and a strong feeling of dread. She involuntarily shuddered at a dark incursion of terror upon her memories.

Now it seemed as if she were there again. It was as if she were hearing it now. The sound of tearing metal in her mind was being completely overshadowed and replaced by the other sound that night. The lucidity of the moment was frightening. She became aware that the sound was being joined by a mechanical clunking noise. Then a loud swishing coupled with a growing rumble beneath her.

Her eyes flew open and she stumbled to her feet. Her senses came about her in a rush as her fight or flight response jump-started with adrenaline. She became immediately aware of her surroundings. A white beach was beneath her feet. A wall of jungle stood before her. Her eyes darted toward the direction of the sounds. Trees were being tossed about fifty meters from the edge of the sand, giving the impression of a large something moving past. Was it aware of her there on the beach? Finally, her breath caught up to her racing heart. As she stood there, she walked a fine line between terror and exhilaration.

The behemoth moved off at a tangent from the beach and Danielle's breath finally caught up to her racing heart. She caught movement from the corner of her eye. Her gaze shot to the right. It was Brennan. She almost laughed. He stood with his mouth gaping open, staring in the direction of the retreating thing. She had never seen fear in his eyes before. His eyes were so often void of any emotion that Danielle found herself staring at him.

He quickly buried his anxiety. "Glad you are okay, we were a little worried about you after the wreck."

The full memory of the storm and the pitch-black nightmare that resulted came back to her. She felt some relief that Brennan was speaking of 'we'. But where was everybody? He could tell the question before she could ask it. "Where are the others?"

"The ship hit some rocks that were just below the surface. You were unconscious. Rob and Monty somehow were able to get you to the beach. Me, Girard and René were barely able to abandon ship with all the wind and waves slamming into us. In the morning, the tide was far enough out that Robert decided to scavenge what could be saved from the ship before it became a loss." Brennan gestured out toward the ship. "Robert asked me to stay here with you to, er, protect you."

Danielle squinted out across the rocky tide pools to where the ship sat precariously. She could make out two people on the deck struggling with something that looked like a mattress. She didn't know what to feel. It was hard for her to tell if the tear that rolled down her cheek was from relief or despair.

The pounding of the waves against the rocks was relentless. Robert straightened up and surveyed the scene. The bow of the ship was lodged on the black rocks and it sat at a precarious angle. The tide had started to come in and now the stern was bobbing up and down with each wave. He could hear grinding as the hull of the ship scraped on the rock in the ebb and flow of the ocean. Looking across the inlet toward the shore he could see Danielle watching him. He waved and got a wave in return.

The inlet was relatively round and the ship sat equidistant between the headlands on each side. Their ship was about 150 meters from the sand and the tidal zone between consisted of slippery, algae covered rocks. It appeared to be relatively flat, but Robert knew better. They had made many treacherous crossing to salvage as many supplies as they could manage.

This would be the final trip. They were working against the tide now. If they did not get back to the beach quickly enough, they could be smashed against the rocks and drown. Robert felt lucky that they were able to salvage anything. When they had hit the rocks the night before, they had caught the tide on its way out. By the time the sun came up, so had the tide. Robert had figured that would be the last they would see of their ship. He could visualize it breaking loose and sinking just out of their reach.

When the tide started out again and the ship was still there, he organized Montand, Girard, and René to cross the foreshore with him and salvage what they could. Danielle had still been unconscious and so he had left Brennan there to keep watch over her. He had hated to leave her, but he felt it was imperative to salvage as much as possible while they could.

"We better get going!" Robert's thoughts were interrupted by Montand calling to him from the rocks below. Robert hefted the pack onto his back and made his way down to where Montand stood. It was slow going. The seemingly flat field of slippery rocks was actually a series of ridges laid out like corrugated cardboard with deep water-filled pools between.

Most of the pools were narrow enough that they could jump across. For the wider ones, it was prudent to walk along the ridge laterally until a suitable crossing point was found. As the tide came in, it became more and more difficult to traverse the expanse.

They finally made it to the beach with Robert bringing up the rear. He dropped his pack next to the assortment of items they had collected in the sand. He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, "Alright men, let's get an inventory of what we were able to salvage." Robert walked toward Danielle as Montand took the cue and started barking orders to the men.

Danielle embraced him and buried her head against his shoulder. Robert closed his eyes and savored the moment. He had no words, he just held her. After several moments she pulled away a bit and looked piercingly into his eyes. The fear was completely gone from them now. It was replaced by a hard determination. "What is your plan?"

"Survive."

The flames licked at the inky blackness of the night. The flickering fire reflected in Brennan's eyes as he stared intently at the campfire. Beyond the crackling of the embers sat Robert and Danielle. He watched them in his peripheral vision. It was sickening to see him fawn over her. She wouldn't stay with him for long. It was plain that she would soon grow weary of his constant nursemaiding. He was a fool. But patience would offer its reward. There are many events in the womb of time, which will be delivered, he thought as he allowed himself an inward smile.

To his left, Montand lay snoring. He was an ignorant brute. A mere simpleton with little to do with his time but verbally spar with Robert over every infinitesimal thing. An ox that strained against the laborer's yoke. All sinews and muscle struggling against a mass of witlessness.

On his right were René and Girard engaged in their usual prattling. Girard was a grease monkey – good with his hands but short of any conventional sense. It was easy to get him windmilling. His excitement for the mundane was saddening, really. He was like a child. It was understandable that he was quite mad after the tragic accident with his wife. He had seemed like a different person to Brennan ever since.

René on the other hand was an egotistical baboon. It was obvious to Brennan that he spoke just to hear his own pompous voice. He would be the first one to die on this island. Brennan was sure of that. Oh, they were all going to die, but René was weak. He thought one-dimensionally. That would get them all in trouble.

They have gotten themselves in quite a predicament, Brennan mused. Robert is in over his head. Robert had decided that they would sleep on the beach that night and then find a safe place to make a temporary shelter further in the woods. Their best hope, Robert had said was to find the radio tower that brought them there. That would be their best bet for rescue. Brennan was not as optimistic; not with that thing out there in the jungle. Robert, the fearless leader, marching them right into the grasp of the creature. Brennan imagined the look on his face moments before the end. Couldn't do anything right. His mind wandered as he made himself comfortable and settled down for the night.

"It's really quite simple, Girard." René was saying. "Think about it for a moment. It's reasonable that a radio tower would have a power source. If there weren't a crew manning the tower, the signal wouldn't keep going. When we find it, we will find people and when we find people, we will practically have our ticket home."

"That's all very well and good, but what do the numbers mean? Why broadcast the same short series of numbers endlessly across the ocean. There is something unusual about this place. I can feel it," Girard's voice trailed off as Brennan allowed sleep to overtake his mind.

Montand looked out across the inlet at their wrecked ship. It was morning and the sun was hanging low in the east. The ship was sitting at a precarious angle, its hull breached beyond repair. He turned his gaze to Robert, gripping his rifle. He and René were gesturing toward the jungle obviously discussing the route they should take. Roberts jaw was set. Montand recognized the look. He had seen it several years ago in Lebanon.

He remembered that morning well and would never forget the date October 23rd. He was a part of the Sixth French Parachute Infantry Regiment sent to hold the peace following a confrontation between Israeli and PLO forces. That morning had started like any other. He was exiting the barracks talking to a young officer. The next instant he was in the air with searing heat at his back and deafening noise all around him. He rolled onto his back and winced in pain. His eyes fell on what remained of his companion. He squeezed them shut and then stared heavenward. The smoke seemed to smile at him from above like some demon released from its underworld realm.

His hearing returned slowly as he got to his feet. Among the commotion, his mind focused on a voice. "Sergant-chef!" The voice commanded authority. Montand stood and tried to shut out all the other sounds. "Chief Sergeant!" The voice repeated. He turned and saw a man striding toward him full of purpose, his jaw set beneath a steely gaze. Montand realized that the man was addressing him and snapped to attention. "You appear able Chief! Come with me."

Together they tried to make order out of chaos. They organized men to search through the rubble for survivors and directed the medics to the wounded. 56 men died in the explosion that day, but Montand and his Colonel had made a difference. Amazingly they were able to liberate 8 of their brothers in arms from the prison of debris that was the barracks. Montand had learned how to come together under pressure and learned what real leadership was made of that day. As he followed Robert into the jungle, he recognized the same resolve his Colonel had demonstrated so many years ago.  
"Montand."

He fell into step beside Robert. "Yes, Robert."

"I'm relying on your military experience here. I expect we will not have any trouble once we find the men manning this installation, but we should be prepared."

"That is why we have the rifles," Montand stated. Each had been armed before they set out. He gazed back at the group. René treated his rifle like a burden and carried it with contempt. Behind him, Girard had the strap of his rifle slung over his shoulders, arms resting on it as it hung across his chest. Danielle's rifle looked like it belonged in her hands. She smiled at him and he nodded back. Bringing up the rear was Brennan whose rifle hung lazily off one shoulder. He seemed to not even notice it there.

"We should build our shelter in an easily defendable location."

Montand returned his eyes to his friend. " . . . just in case," he completed Robert's sentence.

Robert placed his hand on Montand's shoulder. "I've got to go with my gut instinct. Something about this place bothers me. I'm not going to let us take any chances."

At the back of the line, Brennan increased his pace until he was next to Danielle. "Dani." Danielle turned and scrutinized him as she metered her pace. Her dark eyes interrogated him. "That thing that we saw in the jungle, the monster. We shouldn't tell them about what we saw." He gestured forward with his eyes.

She stopped suddenly and Brennan had to turn to face her. "There's no such thing as monsters," She stated.

Brennan almost stuttered. "Right." The corner of his mouth turned up into a half grin. "You are absolutely correct." Danielle started walking again and increased her pace to catch back up with the group. Brennan fell into step behind her again and smiled inwardly to himself.

Danielle noticed that Robert and Montand had stopped just inside a clearing ahead. She would be the last to admit it, but she was tired. She could stand the break, what with all the humidity and the exertion of walking with extra baby ballast. It was Robert's idea to have Danielle near the end of the line so that the others could break the trail in front of her. It was a nice gesture, but he had also assigned Brennan to protect the rear. Robert often trusted Brennan as Danielle's default bodyguard and it was really starting to get on her nerves.

The sparse conversation disappeared altogether as each member of the team saw what Robert was staring at. Danielle's curiosity beat our her desire to get the load off her feet. She pushed through the dumbfounded men and laid her eyes on the object of their amazement. There before them was a hole. It was overgrown with vegetation, but it was obviously manmade. René was the first to speak. "Clearly an abandoned construction site of some kind."

Girard piped in, "Maybe it is a relic from World War II. They could have been building a bunker to protect from a coastal invasion. The radio tower could be part of a base built by the allies to direct attacks against the Japanese."

René was up for the battle as usual. "Perhaps General MacArther himself stayed here," he retorted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Aren't we a little far south for this to be a World War II site?"

Robert cut in before Girard could respond. "This is where we build our shelter. Let's take a few minutes to rest. Then Danielle and I will start prepping the site. Montand, you and the men will start bringing our supply cache here." Robert moved in for a closer look. The pit was about two and half meters deep, six meters wide and ten meters long. The sides, though draped at the moment with jungle tapestry, seemed to be solid. "This will do nicely."

Danielle was a little hesitant about sleeping in a hole, but it kind of made sense. It would blend in with the surrounding jungle. Shouldn't be much work to make it into a serviceable shelter in any case. The men set off to the beach. They silently dreaded the strenuous work ahead, but were grateful to be doing something to keep their mind off the situation at hand.

Robert produced a small hatchet from his pack and started the job of clearing the hole. Danielle watched as Robert worked in silence, absorbed by his task. After several moments of being ignored, she spoke up. "Robert . . ."

"My dear," Robert looked up at her and she could see his old eyes flash for an instant before they were masked again. Suddenly she felt a wave of resentment wash over her, drag her under. It was an odd feeling and she didn't know what to do with it. He was trying to be strong for her, but that wasn't what she needed right now.

"I am going to scout the area a little bit. We need a fresh water source if we are to survive here," she said.

Robert paused momentarily and then resumed chopping at the undergrowth. "I think that is a good idea," he lied. "Take a rifle just in case."

She retrieved her rifle from the tree it was leaning up against and slung it over her shoulder. "I never noticed how sexy a pregnant woman with a rifle was," he teased. His sudden levity caught her completely off guard. She stared at him unsure how to react.

"Men. Is that all you think about?" she asked. Her attempt at flippancy came off as forced. She didn't wait for an answer and made her way into the trees. There seemed to be a wall between them now. She didn't like it. She walked on lost in her thoughts. She wasn't sure how long she had been walking when she heard something that sent a chill up her spine. She stopped in her tracks and turned slowly. The trees were swaying madly behind her. It was the sound from the beach, the sound from the shipwreck. She gazed upward. The terror welling up in her eyes changed to wonder as she beheld it. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Girard walked several paces behind René back toward the beach, lost in his thoughts. This whole situation seemed like something out of a dream, which was odd since he didn't dream much anymore. Not since . . . He pressed his mouth into a thin line and pushed the thoughts to the back. That was in the past, he told himself. Those were memories from another life, a life different from the one he had been living for the past four years.

He tried focusing on the issues at hand. Robert was a good leader and he trusted him. If anyone could figure out a way for them to survive it was Robert. He glanced ahead of René to Montand swinging his machete in time to his step. Robert and Montand. Montand was like Robert's right arm. They were all safe with these men.

He thought of Danielle and her pregnancy. He knew that she could take care of herself. She was a strong woman and he considered her a friend. It hadn't always been that way. When the team was first organized, Girard had tried to avoid her. He had not been comfortable around women since before. He found himself retreating more often to his mechanical fortress. Mechanical things were his safe haven. If things broke, he could fix them. A certainty existed when he had his arms bathed in grease. At first she had been an intruder in the solitary kingdom he had built around himself. It had been an annoyance for her to always be there talking to him. But her enthusiasm and aptitude for mechanical systems provided a common ground that facilitated their friendship and he grew to feel at ease around her. It almost reminded him of . . .

He chided himself silently for letting his mind slip in that direction, but it was too late. The memory and the pain flooded unstoppably into the forefront of his mind. He was back in Grenoble, France. He had just finished doing his mid-day jog up the hill below the Bastille and was meeting his wife for lunch before class at the University. He was pursuing his graduate degree in physics and was looking forward to finishing his thesis. Élise was usually not late for their daily ritual. He looked at his watch and then glanced up to see her walking slowly toward the table he was sitting at. He stood and walked toward her. The moment stretched out toward infinity in his mind's eye. He saw her red, swollen eyes. The mascara streaming down her face. The utter look of hopelessness in her eyes. It took eons for him to close the distance between them. A tumor in her brain. It explained the headaches. It was inoperable. She had 8 months to live. As the words bored into his soul, the earth beneath him seemed to sway. His heart turned to lead in his chest and caused a pain so deep that he felt his whole world splitting apart. She didn't make it to 8 months. He never finished his thesis. Every part of his life that he could tie to his Élise became anathema. He hadn't been back to France since.

"By my calculations, I figure it will take the entire day to get all the supplies back to the hole." Thankfully, René's voice stirred him from his trance. Girard grunted in agreement and pulled himself away from the edge of despair on which he had been teetering.

René was insufferable and probably Girard's his best friend. They were complete opposites of each other. René's world was filled with verifiable facts that demanded to be measured and tested. Girard had a different idea of the universe and understood that there were real things outside of what his five senses could perceive. He had to believe that. It was the only thing that kept him sane. René was the perfect match to Girard's wit and intelligence. Their debates were epic, but their personalities complemented each other so well that they seemed almost to be different aspects of the same consciousness. In their case, two heads were better than one.

They reached the edge of the jungle and stepped out onto the beach. Their ship was still there, caught out on the rocks in the clutches of the ocean. The sea battering it at will. As a group, they turned and looked toward the jungle and up at the mountains that sat like sentinels in the interior. Their future was to be determined by what they found in there. The ship behind them was a remnant of the past. A ghostly apparition that whispered at their backs.

Robert climbed out of the hole to survey his work. There was a neat pile of greenery next to a bare wall of earth. He was tired, but the work made him feel good. It was actually more a feeling of satisfaction. He unconsciously scanned the edge of the jungle into which Danielle had disappeared. It had seemed like hours since she had been gone. I'm just being nervous for her, he told himself. He tried to push the feelings of concern out of his mind. She can handle herself.

He stood completely still and reached out to the sounds of the jungle, sifting them with his senses. He tried willing her to step out of the unknown and into his realm of control. He felt better when he knew she was safe. The more he concentrated on her imminent arrival, the more uneasy he became. He thought of the many dangers she could be facing in the jungle and tensed up. His mind cataloged the different scenarios, clinically dissecting what his reaction would in each case. Breathing deeply, he tried to picture himself holding it together.

A sound to his left caught his attention and his heart beat a little faster. He turned and squinted into the curtain of green. Someone was approaching. He visualized Danielle stepping into view. He steeled himself against the anticipation, he loathed for her to see him fretting about her absence. Another noise distracted him from his ritual. It was very faint and it came from the opposite direction. It was an intermittent, mechanical clicking like someone repeated hitting return on a typewriter. There was a wisp of something in his peripheral vision that vanished as quickly as it was perceived.

He suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable there in the jungle. The clearing seemed to expand around him and he found himself looking toward the tops of the trees and rotating slowly. He was on the edge of dizziness when he heard faint voices coming from the path toward the beach. He quickly bent and picked up the implement that he had dropped during the preceding minutes. His heart raced and paranoia briefly swept over him.

Montand stepped through the verdant veil and into the clearing. His expression evolved into puzzlement and then a wide grin spread his lips. Robert realized that he had been holding his breath and let it out with an audible sigh. Clearly embarrassed, he smiled weakly at his friend.

"Looks like you've been busy." Montand unloaded his burden of supplies and motioned toward the hole. René and Girard were the next to emerge and deposit their provisions in the pile. Brennan brought up the rear with his stoic expression and offhandedly laid down his gear with the others. He looked briefly at Robert standing there alone and then casually glanced into the hole. Montand said what Brennan was thinking. "Where is Danielle?"

Brennan's mind went into overdrive and it was all he could do to keep his composure while his heart rate increased. He found it difficult to continue breathing normally. _It wasn't that thing. Robert would be more frantic_, he tried to rationalize to himself. _But what if she wandered off and that thing found her. Robert will be a destroyed man. _This last thought was almost soothing in its simplicity. _He wasn't man enough to protect that wild creature and he has no idea._

"Uh . . . she went to find a water source," Robert stated. He couldn't remember if that was the actual excuse she had used. He folded his arms and tried to display an air of confidence in himself.

This is too good, Brennan thought as he regained control of his respiration. He relished the thought of breaking the news to him - breaking the man. Danielle's fate was inconsequential. It was Robert's fate that held his real interest. Maybe it was better this way.

Montand raised an eyebrow at Robert. "You seem a little shaken up, you sure you're ok?" Brennan couldn't help himself as a smirk tugged at his lips.

"I'm fine." Robert decided to change the subject. "How many more trips do you think it will take?"

Brennan ignored Montand's answer as the two began discussion logistics. René and Girard seemed to sense the dissipation of the tension and launched their own discussion. Brennan stood apart and fantasized about the upcoming confession. I wanted to tell you, he rehearsed. _Danielle didn't want to burden you too much . . . burden you unnecessarily – that was a good word to use. When you were salvaging the ship, Dani and I - he hates that nickname – we saw something in the jungle, something monstrous. I'm very sorry for your loss. She was a tremendous woman – that sounded weak. She was . . . _

Brennan's thoughts were interrupted by a sound from behind him. Robert and Montand had looked up as well and he could see the sure smile of relief envelop Robert's face. He turned to see Danielle stepping out into the clearing. She strode up to Robert and kissed him. "Hello, my dear."

Brennan stood reactionless apart from jutting out his jaw. It was as close to a pout as he would allow to show. Robert put his arm around Danielle, "Any luck?"

"There is a gorge off that way," she tossed her head slightly to the left. "We should be able to get close enough to draw water for ourselves, but there is something else there that you will need to see."

They followed her a short distance to the gorge. Robert saw it first, "mon âme . . ." The rest of the group looked on in awe at Danielle's discovery. There it was stretching from the point they stood to the other side of the gorge. It was a rope bridge. "We are definitely not alone."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

His eyes flew open in the dark and it took a moment for him to realize where he was. Soon his eyes adjusted enough that he could make out the interior of the shelter they had constructed for themselves in the hole. He made his way to the ladder and climbed out into the woods. Everything was still. There was no bird chatter and no breeze to part the leaves.

He looked up toward the tops of the trees. He had never noticed how tall they were. They seemed to be reaching up high enough to brush the full moon that lie directly overhead. Then the sound again. It seemed as if he had heard the sound before. It was the sound of a distant siren echoing off the canyon walls. He turned toward it and felt compelled to make his way in that direction.

As he walked everything seemed familiar, but at the same time alien. He understood that he was on a path. As he looked to his right, he could see a stream bubbling past. Funny he had not seen that there before, but now he could hear the distinct sound of water flowing.

"Girard."

He stopped at the sound of his name and looked before him on the path. There was a receptionist desk blocking his way. As he peered at the figure sitting at the desk, he recognized Brennan sitting there. He was furiously taking notes on a steno pad.

Girard drew closer to the desk and Brennan stopped. When he looked up there was something different about his eyes. Girard looked closer and realized that both of his eyes were completely black. In response, Brennan's lips split in an eerie grin. As dark as his eyes were, he teeth were just as bright. "She's been asking for you all day," he stated in a cheery tone. "Go on down the hall. I hope you make it in time, she is slipping away."

Brennan returned to his writing. As Girard passed by the desk, he glanced down to see what had been taking so much of Brennan's attention. He saw columns of numbers repeated over and over. 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 . . . 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 . . . 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 . . . 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 . . . 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 . . . 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 . . .

Girard moved past the desk into a long hallway with doors on each side. He expected to be in a hospital, but instead the walls and floor were comprised of wooden planks. After walking for what seemed like several minutes, he saw the room number 23 and stopped. As he opened the door and entered the room, he saw Élise sitting up in a bed. She had a warm smile on her face and practically glowed. Her skin was almost luminescent. She reached out to him and he approached.

As he got closer, he saw a child in her arms. Confused he looked into the face of the child and then at its mother. It was Danielle. Her eyes grew suspicious and she began trying to bundle the baby tightly in its blanket. A feeling of horror enveloped Girard, he turned and almost tripped over a bed that he had not noticed before. Élise was in that bed. She lay completely still with her eyes closed. His heart beat against his chest like a hammer pounding on an anvil. He was too late, his own despair had resulted in him missing out on the final moments of her life. As he looked down on her she began decomposing until all that lay there was a skeleton.

Suddenly a wail broke out from behind him. It was the sound of the siren echoing from distant canyon walls. It was Danielle searching frantically for her baby.

Girard couldn't take it any more. He ran from the room. Or at least he tried to run. His legs failed to operate correctly and then he was wading through sticky blood and tripping over bodies in the hallway. To add to this, the ground was swaying and he understood that he was on a ship. Bodies littered the wood planked hallway as he tried to get to the exit. He looked into one of the faces and saw that it was Montand. The next one was René and then Robert. Brennan's body was slumped over the desk.

As Girard passed the desk he found himself at the railing of the ship. The deck bucked and trembled as if on a rolling sea. But when he gazed out to where the sea should be, he saw jungle instead. The deck broke way beneath his feet and he was falling. He had the sensation of weightlessness for a few moments as the jungle rushed up to meet him.

He awoke with a start and a shout. It was morning. He was lying outside next to the shelter. He sat in stunned silence disturbed only by muffled sounds coming from below. Robert appeared from the shelter with a look of concern on his face. "Are you all right?"

"Uh, yeah. I was just going to relieve myself and I tripped." This seemed to appease Robert who disappeared as quickly as he appeared.

Girard's heart was still racing as he tried to recover from the nightmare. The first dream he had had since . . . since Élise.

"What do you make of the bridge?" Girard sat down at the tree next to where René was sitting. "You've had a week to mull over it, now what do you say?"

"Hmm . . ." René had that look about him that signaled to Girard that he would indeed get what he was bargaining for. "It seems to have been there for some time. Looks are deceptive, however." A long pause, then, "It is rather close to the abandoned construction site to be mere coincidence. It's not uncommon for men to use the materials on hand to suit their purposes."

Girard thought this over a bit before replying. "The hole, the bridge, the . . . " He wanted to say ship, but thought better of it. "So you think the hole and the radio tower are connected?"

"Of course," René answered with a wave of a hand. "That's what's becoming so frustrating. Why are we hunkering down? I have decided some time ago that it is the bridge that connects this site to the radio tower. We cross the bridge, we are closer to help."

Girard pondered the statement for a moment and focused on the hole. In his mind's eye, he pictured the bare hole. It was as clear as if he were actually looking upon it. His mental self approached the hole and peered into it. What he saw brought all the intense feelings of his previous night's dream back to the forefront. The hole was full of bodies – a mass grave. He involuntarily shuddered. René's voice brought him the rest of the way out of his trance.

"What. If it were me, I think I would be in more of a hurry," he said taking Girard's silence as a challenge. He unconsciously lowered his voice into a more conspiratorial tone, "I mean the man's wife is not getting any less pregnant. Unless he plans on delivering the baby himself and raising it according to some Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, we need to find that tower." He folded his arms across his chest and challenged Girard to contradict him.

"There is something sinister about the hole. And I believe the bridge predates the hole anyway," Girard began. René gave a snort of derision. Girard raised his voice as if to be heard over his friend's disdain, "I think there are a lot of things about this island that are . . . different."

"It just doesn't make any sense to sit here and dress our cage, make ourselves at home on this rock. We have a home and it is back in Tahiti." René said, trying to remake his point.

Ignoring him, Girard went on. "I think it's time to cross the bridge and see what's over there. Our shelter's complete, no reason to just sit here and do nothing." He stood up.

René went to argue with Girard and then realized that for once they were on the same page. He was left speechless for a moment and it was not something he was used to. As he joined his friend on his feet, he was pleased to see Robert and Brennan returning to camp with the day's ration of water.

"Where's Danielle?"

"She is taking a nap on the bunk." The bunk was what the team had taken to calling the only bed among the group. Being pregnant and married to team leader had its perks.

Robert seemed satisfied with the answer and perceived that the two before him had something on their minds. "You two in some deep consultations again?"

René saw it as his opening. "Girard was just saying that we should make finding the tower our next priority." He glanced toward the shelter, "I mean now that we have made Danielle comfortable."

"I see," Robert said with visible hesitancy.

"It's only logical that the bridge would lead to the tower. When we find the tower, we should find civilization. Then we are on the next boat to Tahiti."

Robert knew that René was right. He had kept them busy with building the shelter, but now they were ready for the next stage – finding the tower. But ever since that first day when Danielle had found the bridge, he had the strange feeling that they were being watched. It was disconcerting to say the least. He felt compelled to make sure they were safe before they strung out into the jungle. He was especially considering Danielle's condition. He was protecting her and his child. He didn't want to subject her to another grueling hike through the jungle. A part of him realized, however, that his role as team leader meant that he had to take into account the safety of all his team members. It did make sense that finding the tower would lead to them making it off the island.

"Alright." Robert said decidedly. "Brennan will stay here with Danielle. Montand, myself and you two with leave as soon as we're ready to find this tower."

René smiled to himself. _It's about time we had some action._

The bridge swayed unsteadily as the men approached. Without a word, Robert laid his hand on the rope railing that bordered one side and started across. The others followed in course and soon all were across.

"Looks like remnants of a trail off that way," Girard pointed. It looked like nothing more than a game trail to Robert, but he led the way. Robert kept his peace for most of the hike while René and Girard carried on in their usual discussions about everything from the foliage to the proper way to approach the tower once they found it.

The further down the trail they pressed, the more the trees opened up and it became more difficult to detect the trail they were following. "Interesting, the diversity of the trees we've seen," René was remarking. "I would assume . . . " His voice trailed off as large raindrops began to fall on the group. It grew dark rapidly and soon they were in a downpour. René was annoyed more than anything at first.

Girard laughed at the expression on his friend's face. "Shouldn't still surprise you, the weather on this island." His smile vanished and his eyes drew open in shock as a familiar sound assaulted his ears. It was the siren sound from his dream. Robert and Montand eye's met as they too had heard that sound somewhere before. If that hadn't gotten their attention, the sudden explosion behind them did. It was as if a tree had been torn out by its roots and tossed into the air.

Montand instantly threw himself to the ground as his military instincts took over. Girard didn't hesitate and was off like an antelope down the gradual grade before them, dodging trees as he dashed. There was a loud guttural growl and then a roar mixed with a mechanical sound. Montand scrambled up off the ground and followed René and Robert as they emulated Girard.

The grade of the wooded hill grew steeper which helped the men's pace considerably. The effects of the on going cloudburst began to turn that boon into a detriment. René lost his footing and slid several meters on his backside. Robert's mind was thinking quicker than his traction as he too lost his footing trying to go back for his man. René's haste in resuming the escape and the prone figure of Robert met in a catastrophe of tumbling.

A banyan tree that was growing within sight of a small stream broke their fall. Robert quickly pulled himself and René into the center of the tree and tried to control his panting. He realized that Montand had no longer been behind them. They sat there for several terrorizing moments as they listened to the pounding of a seemingly large something ripping up the forest. Robert's mind was racing. The sound was all too familiar. He had heard it right before his ship ran aground. The sounds of that night were forever ingrained in his psyche.

After what seemed like an eternity, the sound of whatever it was started moving away from their position. Robert closed his eyes and attempted to breath smoothly. He wondered about Girard and Montand and whether they had found similar shelter or had succeeded in avoiding the terror some other way. The rain had stopped sometime during their ordeal and the horror had now passed. Robert pulled himself out of the tree and stood on wavering knees.

"What was that thing?" René asked incredulously.

"Montand . . . "

"Huh?"

"I wonder if Montand got away," Robert answered.

"Over here!"

Both men turned to the sound of Montand's voice coming from across the stream. They looked at each other in relief and then made their way across the shallow water to where Girard and Montand stood. Girard was staring down a path next to the water and Montand was talking to him. "Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Girard's eyes just stared and his mouth gaped down the trail. "This can't be happening," he muttered. Then he started walking. He went slowly at first and before long he was in a flat run.

"Girard! What are you . . ." Robert looked at Montand who took the hint and started after him in a sprint of his own. Robert still felt out of breath and so he and René brought up the rear at a jog.

Eventually they caught up and caught their breath. The two of them were standing staring at something. Girard began laughing hysterically. Robert had to look twice. "You have got to be kidding me."

The party stood in awe at what Girard had discovered. René stumbled forward a few steps never taking his eyes off the spectacle. "Do you see that or am I the only mad one here?"

Girard who was still recovering from his initial hysteria found his friend's comment particularly amusing and burst forth with another round of laughing. "My friend," he said when he had recovered his wits a bit. "You may be mad, but that is quite what it looks like." He swept his arm in a grand gesture as if it were his very own.

There sitting in the jungle was what appeared to be a medium sized wooden sailing vessel with the words 'Black Rock' clearly written on the stern. It was listing to the starboard with a great amount of vines and such covering the deck. A hole gaped from the aft port side into darkness. While the others were staring at the incongruous ship, René found himself staring at Girard. "What is the meaning of this?" He sputtered as if accusing Girard of placing the ship there himself.

Girard was grinning like a school child that had pulled off some wonderful prank. "It is what it is. Don't ask me how the island got it here, but here it is."

"The island?" René couldn't help but think that Girard had lost his mind. Montand and Robert had already started making their way toward the ship.

Girard lowered his voice into a conspiratorial tone. "Don't you understand? This is a sign from the island." René shook his head, still agape. For some reason Girard seemed to expect René to grasp what he was saying. It was beyond René. He lived in a world whose breadth and depth were defined by logic. The senses came second to reason. His eyes told him that the ship was there, but his mind did not believe it.

"There is something special about the island, René." Girard was saying. Girard lived in a world completely foreign to his friend. He often contemplated the unseen world and took for granted that things happened behind the scenes that were impossible to measure. "We were brought here for a reason."

René straightened himself and dusted off imaginary cobwebs of fantasy, deciding to take a different mental approach to the problem at hand. "Well, there is a good explanation for this phenomenon. Let's take a closer look and find out what that is. It looks like Robert and Montand have already made their way inside."

Suddenly hesitant, Girard appeared frightened. "Take a closer look inside?"

René was frustrated now. "Are you sure the heat isn't getting to you? Have you eaten anything . . . strange. How have you been sleeping . . . "

At the mention of sleep, Girard's eyes flashed. "What . . . I . . . "

René brushed past him brusquely and followed the slight path made by their companions. Girard followed him after a few beats and tried to change the subject. "How did you get away from the monster?"

That caught him off guard. René had almost forgotten about it after finding that ship staring out of the jungle at them. He turned toward Girard. "Where did you go? You took off like a shot and left the rest of us there in the mud."

"It wasn't something I wanted to stick around for." He lamely answered. "Then I saw the same stream and the path and knew we had to come this way." He grew excited again. "And now look what we've discovered!"

René turned around and trudged that last several yards to the ship. He put his hand on the side and stuck his head part way into the hull. "Robert!"

"Over here, check this out!" He heard Robert's voice shout back.

". . . very useful," he was hearing Montand say as he led Girard past several containers and skeletons shackled to the inside of the hull.

"Dynamite." Robert looked pleased. "This could come in handy."

"How?" René said incredulously. "We're likely to blow ourselves into pieces with that stuff. How is it going to help us find the radio tower?"

"Hey, this looks like mining equipment over here," Girard's voice echoed from another part of the compartment. René just smirked and ignored him.

"We should press on and find the tower. Get to higher ground or something so we can see over these blasted trees."

Robert and René argued over the merits of dynamite and how it could be used with Montand coming in on the side of his leader. This went on until Robert decided that it was getting late and that they should return to camp. "Should we tell Danielle and Brennan about that thing out there?" Montand asked as they picked there way back up the slope on the way home.

"I'll pull Brennan aside when we get back and fill him in. I don't want Danielle to get worried, especially in her state."

"I'm sure she can handle it, Robert."

He gave his Second a look. "We don't tell her."

She opened her eyes in the semi darkness. The sunlight streamed into the shelter through the many gaps in the hole covering and made interesting patterns on everything. It was warm and humid, something she had started to get used to in Tahiti. It was a little different here, however.

She was not uncomfortable. Robert had made every effort to make her comfortable. _You can't fault him with that_, she thought to herself. She was the only one in the group who got an actual bed with springs and a mattress and everything.

The air was somewhat stagnant and she knew she should get up, but her muscles were content to stay relaxed. The baby kicked and she smiled lazily. _She is ready to get up, I suppose I should too_, she thought to herself. Danielle had been thinking of her baby as a she for a while now. Women's intuition she supposed. She started thinking about how it would be to have a child. _She will be loved, that's for certain_. She visualized holding the baby and singing softly to her while she rocked her gently. She could see her growing up. She would be a lot like her father . . . Robert . . . Robert would be a good father. _He can be so overprotective sometimes._ She would be a daddy's girl for sure. _Too bad for the boys that are going to come calling._ What will it be like in 16 years? _It will drive Robert crazy._ In her mind's eye she saw her putting her hand on his shoulder as their daughter drove off with some young fool. _It's ok, dear. She'll be fine._ She drifted back into the twilight of sleep.

A sound. A twig snapping. She awoke and sat straight up in bed. It was so quiet. Where had everyone gone. She swung her legs over the side of the bed awkwardly and stood up. Climbing the ladder she had to squint as the full brightness of the sun was in her eyes.

There before her was Brennan pacing back and forth. He hadn't seemed to notice her appear from the shelter. He looked to be in extreme concentration. His elbows were drawn in close to his body with the knuckle of his hand clenched in his mouth. It was almost comical the way he marched back and forth like that. She glanced around and saw no one else. _Left to be babysat once again._ Her eyes were drawn back to the nervous creature pacing like a tethered dog before her. It was mesmerizing.

Then in a moment, he seemed to sense that he was no longer alone. His arms relaxed to his sides and he turned toward her. She took the cue and continued up the ladder with some effort. It was difficult with so much extra mass in front of her. He smiled at her, but it seemed so out of place that it startled her. Then she noticed a hard look in his eye.

Brennan seemed to anticipate her question. "They went to see if they could find the radio tower. Robert didn't want to wake you."

"I could have used some exercise," she stated.

"Ah, well. You know, in your condition you shouldn't exert yourself too greatly. You don't want to hurt yourself or the baby. It can be dangerous out there." The smile had actually taken hold on his eyes now, but it was disconcerting to her. She stopped and studied him for a moment until the smile faded. "He underestimates you, though."

"I'm sure I'm flattered you would say that." She set her jaw.

Innocent look, "I don't mean anything by it. I'm just saying that you are a very capable woman. Even pregnant, I count you more of an . . . an asset than say your Girard or René for instance."

Danielle's eyes narrowed slightly as she stared at him.

Brennan continued, "You've got that something that others lack. You know how to take care of yourself." He took a step closer to her. "You know Robert is one of the men I admire most. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but he holds you back too much. What? Don't look at me like you don't see it, too." He took a couple more steps toward her. "You and I both know that you have so much more potential." He now stood a couple feet from her. "It's noble to stand behind your man, but . . . how long are you going to let him dictate your life?"

She slapped him hard across the face. He straightened up and felt his lip with his finger and then looked at it. "I deserved that. I was out of line. Forgive me."

Danielle couldn't articulate a response. She just stood there smoldering, staring him down. Brennan met her gaze at first and then eventually backed down. He made an excuse about some camp chore he had been neglecting and wandered off.

_Some nerve, he has to talk to me like that._ She thought. _Where does he come off making assumptions like that._

She and Brennan managed to ignore each other until evening started drawing nearer. Then she started to hear approaching voices and looked down the trail to see the team returning.

Robert smiled when he saw her and made his way to her. The others in the group didn't make eye contact with her. She noticed that the group as a whole was more soiled than when she had last seen them. "Hello, my dear." Robert began.

"Why didn't you wake me?" She looked hurt.

"I realized that you need to get some rest. All that walking could have brought on early labor. You don't want to give birth out here in the jungle."

"You could at least have asked me what I want."

Now it was his turn to look hurt. "I'm sorry, my dear. I'm just trying to look out for you two."

"You guys are filthy, what were you doing out there?"

Robert glanced at Brennan. "Didn't Brennan tell you we were looking for the radio tower?"

"Yes."

"Well, during the rain storm a couple of us slipped in the mud." He considered telling her about the ship, but decided to save it for later. He didn't want her to get any ideas about going out to see it. He needed to buy more time to think the ramifications through. "We didn't find it." She needed more. "We'll go out again tomorrow and try again."

"I'd like that."

He smiled weakly, "Great." _Not great._ He had to think this through some more. He wouldn't be able to hide the ship from her. Eventually she would need to know about that thing they saw out there. He cringed inwardly when he realized that she might not appreciate him not telling her sooner. That was a risk he would have to take.

Girard was up with the morning, his mind still swimming with the discovery from the previous day. He sat with pen in hand trying to recall the details of his two nights previous. He had taken to calling it a vision. How could he not after finding the very objects in his dream manifested in broad daylight. But what did it all mean? That was the mystery he tried to solve under the dim canopy of nature's cathedral.

What were the numbers from the dream? He concentrated, running the sequence of events over in his mind. The first few were relatively easy to remember: 4 and 8. He wrote them down. Wasn't it 16 next? No, it wasn't quite that simple of a pattern. There was a 15 in there. That's right the numbers were in order. 4, 8, 15, 16. Then a prime number. 17? No. Not 19. That's right, 23. It was also the number on the door. He wrote "15 16 23" on the page. There were six numbers in all. A nice even number to round it out. 44. Not that even. 42. Yes, that's it. He jotted the final number down and looked at the page in satisfaction.

His brow furrowed. Not quite right. Ah! Brennan had written the numbers in seven rows. He recreated the matrix from the dream and examined it again. Could it be a mathematical sequence? Perhaps a formula that would yield these specific numbers. Nothing as mundane as that. Could it be coordinates – maybe the coordinates of the island. _That doesn't make sense, I'm already here_. There had to be meaning to these numbers.

Danielle appeared at the top of the ladder. She did not seem surprised to see him.

"You're up early," he observed.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Baby waking you up already?"

"No. Just eager to get started. This island intrigues me. I'd like to see what's out there, you know? Did you go beyond the bridge?"

"Mm-hmm." Girard was not keen to divulge Robert's secrets, no matter how pointless they seemed. He concentrated harder on his sheet of paper.

"That exciting, huh?" she goaded him as she walked toward the rope to lower the suspended food. They kept the food suspended as a precaution against animals.

Girard was saved by Montand and then René ascending the ladder. "Well Danielle," Montand began with a wide grin on his face. "Ready to get going, I see." She shrugged and began lowering the provisions from the tree from which they were suspended. Montand laughed. At that moment Robert's head popped up out of the hole and it made Montand redouble his laughter.

Robert smiled in spite of himself. "What's so funny this morning?"

"Danielle is ready to go! You're holding us up. If we want to see the Black Rock today, we better get ready."

Robert's smile went sour. Danielle turned toward them and tried to muster a knowing look in spite of the new information. "Well, I . . ." he stammered. "You see, my dear, I was going to mention . . ." He stopped and looked at Montand who was now wiping his eyes and shuddering with mirth. Robert's face turned a deep shade of red. "Who told her about the ship?"

Montand could no longer hold it in and burst out laughing. "Sounds like you did," he said after composing himself a bit. Danielle became visibly tense and started making a lot of noise rifling through the foodstuff.

Robert was thoroughly confused at first, but it quickly transformed into a feeling of foolishness. Montand became serious for a moment and placed his meaty hand on Robert's shoulder. He lowered his voice to give a morsel of advice to his friend. "I know you're worried about her, but we're in this together. Give her some credit."

Robert went to her and crouched beside her next to the crate. "My dear, I'm very sorry for not telling you everything." She looked him in the eye frankly and he continued. "We've seen some . . . fantastic things out there."

"And I am just supposed to stay here, barefoot and pregnant, while you are off . . ."

"Danielle, I was worried about you."

"You were worried about me? What was I supposed to think when I woke up and you were not here? And you leave me here with Brennan?"

"We also had a very dangerous encounter with something out there . . ."

This got her attention. "You saw it then?"

"You've seen it? It chased us down a hill, it nearly got Montand and Girard."

She blinked and checked herself. "Brennan and I saw it when we were on the beach the morning after the wreck." She decided not to mention her other rendezvous with the thing.

"Wait, you _and_ Brennan saw it?"

"Well, no. We didn't actually see it. But we saw that something was moving through the trees. Something large and powerful."

"And you didn't say anything?" She gave him a look and he said, "Right."

René had sat down beside Girard and started to take interest in what he was studying. "What do you have there?"

"It's nothing," Girard responded.

Montand glanced down at his page with some interest, "Aren't those the numbers that we picked up on the transmission right before we wrecked?" Two sets of eyes fell upon Montand. "The numbers, broadcast from the radio tower. You know about the radio transmission."

René stood up and looked at Girard. "Yes, I know about the transmission, but not what it was a transmission of." He stalked away mumbling under his breath, "always the last one to know about things around here."

"Surely we mentioned the numbers, didn't we? Must have if you've gone and written them down."

Girard was inclined to agree with him. "Must have. Where else would I get these?"

"Yes."

"It's not as if I just dreamed them, right? That would be preposterous."

"Quite." He scratched his head and asked a question. "So what do you make of them? Do you think this is some type of numbers station? I've heard that governments have such places to broadcast code to their agents around the globe."

"Well, let's get some breakfast and then we'll take Danielle and Brennan to see the ship," Robert interrupted.

"Girard here has written the numbers down from the transmission we heard," Montand stated.

"Was that what the transmission was?" Robert had nearly forgotten about that. It sounded like they had it covered.

The group made their way to the Black Rock without incident. The sight of the ship sitting there in the overgrowth stopped Danielle in her tracks. She was truly impressed. "How does something like that get in the middle of the jungle?" Brennan on the other hand, seemed unimpressed and bored with the whole expedition.

"Well, I can tell you it's been here for a long time," began Girard. "It looks to be English. And by the shackled men and mining equipment on board, I'd say it was on its way to some kind of penal colony in Australia."

"A bit off course, wouldn't you say?" retorted René. "They may have ported in Australia, but I conjecture that the bones chained in the hull are slaves and they had a destination in the Pacific in mind."

"Mining what?" Montand said.

"Perhaps it meant to come here." Danielle said as she started toward the ship. After a few paces she turned and added, "We've seen evidence of others taking interest in this place."

That settled the argument for the moment. Montand caught up to help balance her and the rest of the party followed to the ship. Robert broke the silence once they had gotten to the opening. "We should do a thorough search to see if there is anything useful we can use."

"I'm sure these old pirates won't miss it. They're dead." They were the first words out of Brennan's mouth since they set out that morning.

The team spread out to explore the old vessel, calling out to each other at various times as they found diverse items of interest. Girard decided to see if he could find his way to the upper deck of the ship. He ascended a ladder and found his way into a dim passageway. His foot brushed up against something on the deck and he felt a wave of vertigo hit him. His mind flashed to the image in his dream of tripping over bodies and nausea overtook him. He stumbled down the ladder and got to the opening in time to empty the contents of his stomach into the bushes. Hopefully the fresh air would improve his condition.

He found a fallen tree and sat down on it. He had just shut his eyes when he heard a sound coming from his left. His eyes flew open in an instant and he stared out into the lush greenery. Nothing was there. He rubbed his temples with the palms of his hands and sighed heavily. This place was starting to get to him. He heard the noise again and was certain somebody was there. He looked in the direction of the sound again. Girard saw a woman standing about a fifty meters away looking at him. She was visible from the waist up. In an instant she had turned away and disappeared from his sight.

Girard shot to his feet, queasiness forgotten and started pursuit. As he got to the position where he had seen her standing, He caught another glimpse of her. She was closer this time and he was able to make out her features more easily.

He continued the chase. "Élise!" he called. It was she; he could recognize her from anywhere. He hadn't stopped to consider how or why she was on the island, he just knew he had to get to her.

"Élise!" She seemed to be leading him. Every time he thought he was close enough to catch her, there would be no trace of her. Then he would see her off in another direction and it would continue.

With each sighting, his urgency increased. He stumbled and rolled down a short embankment. As he pulled himself up he began to hear whispering. It was a sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once. He looked wildly up at the trees around him. Rising to his feet, he shouted again. "Élise! It's me! Where are you?!" The whispers stopped and he just stood there breathing heavily and looking out into the tangle of trees.

Silence. Then behind him a man's voice. "Hello."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Girard spun around with wide eyes and fell backwards. Standing calmly before him was a man with fiery red hair, blonde eyelashes and sharp features. He was of smaller stature than Girard but his bare arms were more muscular. His clothing seemed to be from another age, worn and tattered.

"You seem to be lost." The man stated in English.

Girard's English was layered with a thick accent, "Are you, how do you say, part of the radio tower detail?"

The man's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered Girard's question. Then he answered in perfect French, "of course, M'sieur." He gestured to the jungle surrounding them. "And how do you find yourself here?"

Girard's fear turned to relief as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. "I am part of a science team, our ship was swept off course and we crashed on this island. My name is Girard."

"Todd. Nice to meet you. Any injuries among your crew?"

"No, we . . . there are six of us. And uh, my captain's wife is pregnant. Uh, 7 months or so. But, no one was harmed but our ship."

Todd's eyebrows went up. "A pregnant woman, here? That is most unfortunate." Girard blinked his eyes in confusion. "I only mean that this is no place for children much less a place for child birth."

"But now, if you are here you must have a way to get us back to Tahiti."

He ignored the comment. "You say there are six of you. The captain's wife – is she the only women among your team?"

"Yes. We are from Tahiti, we work at the University there."

"Ah-ha. And how long have you been here?"

"We wrecked about 10 days ago. We made shelter and were trying to find the radio tower. We figured that if we found the tower, we would find rescue."

"And how did you know there was a tower on this island?"

"We picked up a transmission from the ship before we crashed."

"I see."

"The rest of my team is right over there at the Black Rock. You can help us, right?"

"It's not that simple." Todd exhaled loudly and placed his hands behind his head in a stretching motion. Girard instantly felt a stinging sensation in his neck. He swatted at the offending insect and instead knocked a small object to the ground. The periphery of his vision started turning black and he found himself on his knees. A wave of fatigue passed over him and then . . . he slumped forward . . . nothing.

"Where is Girard?" René asked Robert as he exited the Black Rock. Robert and Danielle had been standing just outside the opening in the hull.

"We thought he was with you." Danielle stated.

"Well, I haven't seen him for upwards of 30 minutes." René retorted.

Montand was the next one out of the ship. He saw the concerned faces around him. "Is there a problem?"

Robert sighed. "I don't think so. Have you seen Girard recently?"

Brennan was the next to step out. "I saw him head up a ladder after we first got here. He should be in there somewhere. It's not that big of a ship."

The team reentered and began a systematic search of each compartment only to find that Girard was indeed missing. Danielle was especially concerned and decided to search the area just outside of the vessel. Girard had been acting very peculiarly recently and she wondered if it had been right to let him wander off on his own.

Robert was frustrated with the search and decided that he couldn't be in the ship. He had to be out in the jungle somewhere. He found Danielle just outside the Black Rock. Her eyes were moist and she quickly brushed at them with her hand when she saw him.

"He's gone." She said. "I'm pretty sure he went off in that direction."

"Let's get Montand out here. Maybe we can track him." Montand was the one with the most experience in tracking. René and Brennan were assigned to stay behind in case Girard returned while they were gone. Danielle had insisted on helping them find her friend.

After several minutes in the jungle, Montand stopped. "He's leading us in circles. It seems to me that Girard was pretty disoriented."

"He was acting very strangely when we found the Black Rock." Robert agreed.

Danielle furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? You didn't tell me anything about that."

"Well I didn't think to much of it at the time. He was nearly hysterical after our encounter with that thing. I just figured he was frightened out of his mind."

Montand had continued his search and found something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Over here!" he called.

Danielle and Robert walked over to the small clearing Montand was standing in. "There were two people here. Look there," he pointed at a spot on the ground. "One of them fell to the ground and was dragged."

"A struggle?" Robert asked.

"It doesn't look like there was much of a struggle." Montand spotted something on the ground and bent down to pick it up.

"Robert! Montand!" Danielle called from several meters away. "It looks like a third person joined them."

Montand stood up and walked toward Danielle. He looked at the ground and glanced back to Danielle. "She's right. It was an ambush and I know how they did it."

Robert gave Montand a puzzling look. Montand held up the object he had retrieved and rubbed it between his thumb and finger. It was cylindrical with a point on one end and a bit of feather on the other. "Blow dart," Robert concluded.

"Yes," Montand agreed. "It means we are not alone on this island."

"Very good, Todd." Girard lay sedated on a bed between Todd and another man. "Now I want you to repeat to me what he said."

"Shouldn't Jacob be here for the debrief?" Todd asked him.

"That isn't necessary." The man's eyes turned dark for a moment. "Jacob has given me the authority to act in this matter."

"I just thought that since he was on Jacob's list . . . "

"Jacob is busy with other concerns. Now what did he tell you about his team?" The man motioned Todd to sit.

Todd complied and started into his debrief. "There are six in his team - five men and one woman. They were on a science expedition on their way back to Tahiti when they heard the broadcast from the radio tower."

"How is that possible?" The man interrupted him. "No one should be able to hear that broadcast, much less be able to follow it here."

"There have been rumors that some of your people . . . " The man's eyes flashed and Todd decided to use more tact. "Ann's army. There have been sightings near the Looking Glass. Sabotage is their specialty."

The man scoffed. "You give the rag-tags more credit than they deserve. What else did learn?"

"Uh, their ship wrecked here 10 days ago. They made shelter and there is something I think you especially will find interesting. The woman is pregnant, seven months pregnant. She's the captain's wife."

"You've done well, Todd. I'll be sure to tell Jacob of your faithfulness." The man stood in silence for a moment formulating his next move. "Take Girard down to the Staff and let's have the implant inserted." Todd gave him a confused look so the man continued. "We're going to let him return to his comrades so we can collect more information. But we will need insurance in case things get out of hand."

"From now on we move in teams of at least two. No more going alone. And we go armed." Robert began. His team was assembled in the semi-darkness around him. The mood in the shelter was portentous.

"What did you find out there?" René asked. Robert hadn't told René and Brennan a whole lot when they returned to the Black Rock. His first concern was to get the team back to the shelter as quickly and silently as possible.

"No more secrets. We found evidence of an ambush. Girard wandered into the jungle and was shot with this." Robert handed the dart to René to examine who in turn gave it to Brennan to look at.

"Some kind of tranquilizer dart?" René asked.

"We believe that is what it is," Montand said.

"By whom? Who would have done this?"

"We found evidence of two people dragging another person off into the jungle." Robert continued.

"So it is just conjecture that Girard was involved?" René was beside himself.

"We followed his trail from the Black Rock. It had to be him." Danielle said.

"We should be able to track two men carrying another one rather easily. Let's get our rifles and go and get him." René started to get up.

"I'm afraid we can't," Robert said. "There was no trail. It was like they just vanished into the jungle. We are dealing with professionals here."

"What would they want with Girard?"

"We don't know."

"Are we going to do anything about getting him back?" René asked.

"We need to find the radio tower," said Montand. Robert pressed his lips together. "I believe if we find that, we will find the people who took him."

"We leave first thing tomorrow," Robert interrupted.

Robert was up early cleaning and loading his rifle. His normal stance was different. He was a man transformed. _Who are these people who think they can just snatch one of my men?_ He was running through the sequence of events in his mind. Girard had gone into the jungle, but why? It was obvious that he was disoriented. Had they led him out there to get him away from the group so they could take him? Did he accidentally discover _them_? Was it related to that thing out there? There were more questions than answers.

Then he thought of Danielle. _What if they had taken her?_ He set his jaw and shook his head slowly. _No time to dwell on what ifs_. But what does he do with Danielle? He can't just leave her here in the shelter. If they have Girard, then they can discover where our shelter is. That leaves the element of surprise in their favor. So Danielle comes with them. _Can I trust her safety with Brennan or René?_ No, she has to stay by his side. He is the only one that can truly protect her from harm. She is great with a rifle. _The only way I can ensure the safety of my people is if I have the upper hand_.

The success of this mission depended upon him and him alone. He had screwed up once and he was not going to let it happen again. _We've got to get our man back._

Danielle wasn't surprised to see Robert up and around already. "Are you ready to do this?" Robert asked without turning his head.

"Absolutely. Girard was my friend, I don't owe him any less." Danielle approached Robert and put her arms around him. He felt cold to her touch, like the steel of her rifle when she hefted it that morning. "Who could have done this thing?"

"I don't know, my dear. It's this place . . . I just don't understand it. We've go to make the next move though. All of our lives depend on it." He stole a glance at Danielle's bulging stomach.

"Am I interrupting anything?" A voice boomed from behind them. It was Montand. He had somewhat of a wry look on his face, but more serious than Danielle had seen him before. "I have an idea on a direction we should head. I've been thinking about the terrain around here. We know the general direction in which they probably went and we can bet they know the path we take to the Black Rock."

"Ok, you will led the way then, Montand." Robert admired the enthusiasm from Montand. Of anyone, he was the one he trusted the most. Probably even more than he trusted himself.

The team moved off into the jungle a different way than they had gone before. Montand had surmised that the radio tower was probably on one of the high peaks they had seen. There was a peak in the direction that Girard had been dragged. Robert hadn't felt like there was time to debate the accuracy of this theory. It was more important to get the men feeling like they were accomplishing something in order to take their mind off of the danger they were in. Robert had always felt trouble watching them from the bushes and now there was proof that it wasn't his idle imagination. It was real and there was a real enemy out there.

He had to admire Danielle through all this. She was a trooper and never balked at making a long hike in her condition. He knew he had married a strong woman. She had endurance that was sure and now she had a chip on her shoulder. He didn't have room to worry about her too much, not if he was to lead the men off to battle an unknown force in an unknown land. Was he marching them to their certain death? Was their any chance of getting their man back alive? He had to believe that there was, else why lead them out against such bad odds? Who knew the odds, anyway? They didn't know anything; that was the problem.

In an instant there was a downpour. Everyone took it in stride except René. "What is wrong with the weather here. Can't it give us any warning at all!"

Robert stared him down. "Let's keep our minds on the task at hand."

"Yes, sir," he said with less passion.

Montand motioned for the others to stop. Robert stepped closer to him. "I'm thinking we should head back that other direction. This trail is starting to look rather treacherous and with the rain . . . " Montand's words trailed off.

"I agree. Once we get around this bluff . . . " Robert looked at his friend and noticed that he was staring off into the trees, his face as motionless as if it were carved from stone. Montand reached up and grabbed Robert's shoulder and physically turned him so that he was facing the same direction as he was. "What in the world . . . "

A gunshot sounded and bits of rock flew off of the cliff wall behind them. The entire team took cover. Luckily they were in a field of boulders that afforded them plenty of protection. "Hold your fire!" Robert looked intently in the direction that Montand had been looking. A moment ago he had seen a flicker of something moving through the trees, but now there was nothing.

"What do you think it was?" Robert whispered to Montand.

"I couldn't tell. But I'd say we probably saw the sniper preparing to fire."

The word sniper caught Robert's attention. He looked up at the face of the cliff behind him. If he could get to higher ground he may be able to get expose the sniper. "Cover me," he told Montand. As Robert started picking his way between the boulders, Montand changed position to get next to René.

"Get ready to fire in that general direction," Montand pointed. René got his rifle ready and the two let off a volley of shots in the direction of the original gunfire. Robert used the opportunity to climb quickly up to a crevice in the wall of the cliff. The ledge was at such an angle that he could lie prone on his stomach behind the lip and still get a good look at the woods facing them.

Robert peered into the mass of greenery. No one had returned gunfire and he could not make out any movement in the direction that his comrades had fired. He tried to change position slightly to see if he could get a better view to the side. Some pebbles rained down on him from above and he realized that there was another ledge just a meter or so above his head.

A figure dropped onto the ledge next to him. He rolled onto his back and attempted to get his rifle out in front of him. It was too late. He got a kick to the side of the head for his efforts. He was stunned for a moment and loosened his grip on the weapon enough that his assailant was able to kick I over the side. He heard it clatter to on the rocks below. By the time he was able to get his wits about him, there was an assault rifle pointed at his face. And it was a woman holding it. "You down there, drop the weapons!" she called to his friends below.

"Robert! Are you ok?" Montand called.

Robert gave the woman a narrow look. "I'm fine. Do as she says."

She grabbed the shoulder of his jacket and yanked him to his feet. She was a strong woman with dark hair with a very untidy appearance to it. She was dressed in a simple jumpsuit with a circular logo on it below the left shoulder. The jumpsuit had been beige at one time, but now appeared dirty. "Let's get down there," she pointed.

Robert lowered himself back down the way he came and his captor followed. Several men emerged from the woods with automatic weapons at the ready. Montand and the others had no choice but to stand up and lay their rifles aside.

"Are you hostiles?" The woman asked emphasizing the question with the muzzle of her weapon. She spoke in English.

Robert answered carefully in English. "We are scientists."

She appeared to be caught off guard at the answer at first. Then she raised her weapon at him in a more threatening manner. "You lie."

"We were on our way to Tahiti when we shipwrecked here."

"Tahiti?" She was getting more confused. "Are you French?"

"Oui!"

She lowered her rifle. "We thought you were some of the hostiles . . . er, I mean our enemy. Are there only five of you?"

"No, no. There are six. One of us was captured yesterday by two men. We were trying to find him to, how do you say, uh, rescue him."

"I see." She shouldered her rifle and reached out to shake Robert's hand. He took it and she gestured toward the other men who shouldered their weapons as well. "My name is Annie and these are my men."

The rain had stopped as quickly as it had come. The combined troop made their way carefully through the jungle. Annie believed it prudent to get moving, fearing that the gunfire might attract unwanted attention. Robert and Annie walked next to each other in front with Danielle and René following a few paces behind. Montand and Brennan were interspersed between the members of Annie's party at the rear of the loose formation.

"You said that you were scientists. We are also scientists. I'm sorry that we were so abrupt with you. Things have been tense here lately," Annie explained.

"If you mind me asking, Madam . . . " René started.

"Please call me Annie."

"Annie. I have a question regarding the radio tower. You referred to the hostiles earlier. Is it you or they that have control of the tower?"

"Our organization came to this island more than two decades ago. It was a big construction effort. We brought technology to the island – we built the radio tower. There are a lot of interesting phenomenon on this island to study. We seemed to be making a lot of progress, but . . . We were always a little worried about the hostiles."

"Tell us more about these hostiles. They are natives, no?" Robert asked.

"We had little incursions here and there, but we thought we had taken plenty of precautions to protect ourselves. We never really understood who they are. We thought we had things under control, but . . . I don't know exactly what happened. Forty killed on one day. It was a massacre; I don't know how they did it, but the majority of our scientists were wiped out. Aside from a couple pockets we believe to still exist, me and my men are the only ones left. We have a cache of weapons and supplies hidden away that the hostiles are unaware of, but they still seem to be able to pick us off at will."

"How many are there?" Robert asked.

"That's the thing." Annie was barely able to conceal her the hint of desperation in her voice. "We know hardly anything about them. They are able to move almost silently through the jungle. They control most of the island now."

"Annie, if they are so dangerous as you say, why are you still here. Why haven't you gone back to your country?" He looked into her eyes and already knew the answer. Glancing at Danielle he decided not to press the subject. "Never mind. Where is your camp from here?"

"We were actually on our way to make contact with another pocket of resistance we believe to still exist to the south. They may have already been compromised, we could use some numbers." Annie artfully dodged the question.

Robert glanced back at Danielle again. "Look, we are still missing our man and . . . "

"A perfect reason for us to join forces. You need your man, we need our island back."

Robert stopped walking and the entire troop took his cue and did the same. "Let's take a break here." He slipped out of his pack and propped his rifle up next to it.

"It's not safe to stop here." Annie said firmly.

René looked at her incredulously and started muttering under his breath. Robert folded his arms and looked squarely at Annie. "You know this island pretty well." It wasn't a question. "Do you know any fresh water sources nearby?"

"Yes. On the other side of that ridge there is a stream. But you don't want to go over there," Annie warned. She looked at Robert's face and his arched eyebrow. She continued more slowly. "That is what we call the dark territory." His expression did not change. Annie went on, "Where did you say you're shelter was?"

Robert stood stoically. "I hadn't said. But if you are interested, we found a hole already dug and we built our shelter there."

"It had been excavated some years before it appears," René chimed in.

Annie looked at René and then back at Robert. "I know this place. We had plans to build a station there years ago, but it became impractical."

"Dark territory?" Danielle asked. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, she speaks," Annie couldn't help peering at the evidences of pregnancy when she addressed her. Danielle looked back at her with narrow eyes. "We're not sure what it is exactly ," Annie attempted to say offhandedly. She didn't succeed. "Look, there are a lot of things about this island that are a mystery. You've noticed that."

Robert knew what she was getting at. "You're talking about that thing out there."

Annie looked back at Robert. "Yes."

"What is it?" Danielle asked.

"It is a security system as far as we can tell. This is its territory, it seldom roams far from here. The hostiles seem to steer clear of it as well."

"A security system guarding what?" Robert asked.

"The island, I don't know for sure. You have encountered it then?"

Danielle and Robert both nodded and then looked at each other.

"Well at least you survived. Now what do you say about teaming up? You know how to use those rifles you are carrying I suppose." Annie seemed to be losing her patience.

"We're pretty handy." Montand put in.

"That will get you only so far." Annie countered.

"Look," Robert said. "We will take any help you offer to get our man back. After that, we can discuss how we might help you. Do you know where they might be holding him?"

"No. But I have a hunch. There has been a lot of activity at one of our former stations. I can take you there; perhaps together we can secure the location."

"Alright," Robert agreed. "But I am going to send my wife and a couple men back to our shelter." Danielle's eyes flashed at him. "I'm not going to take my pregnant wife into a potential firefight."

Danielle knew he was right after all. She would be able to take care of herself, but the risk to her baby was more than she was willing to take at the moment regardless of her eagerness to find her friend. "Montand, would you like to escort me?" she said in French. She knew Robert had a tendency to pair her with Brennan, but she was getting tired of the boor.

Robert preferred Montand to be at his side, but he was also concerned for the safety of Danielle. "Alright, Montand and Brennan take Danielle back to the shelter. René and I will go with Annie and her team to find Girard." His men nodded and Annie seemed satisfied. Robert did as well. "First we go to the stream to fill up our canteens." He raised his eyebrow at Annie again.

"Agreed. I'll lead the way."

The group proceeded on their march. Brennan hung back a bit and found himself walking with one of Annie's team. "So what's with these hostiles?"

"They're not to be taken lightly. The massacre came out of nowhere you understand. The hostiles had actually been rather quiet in the months leading up to the attack. Then without warning, they just came in and killed them all."

"How did they do it?" Brennan asked.

"We aren't for sure how exactly. But there was betrayal involved. One of our own. Rumor has it he's in charge now, calling the shots. You know what I think, they like to take the real scary ones and put them in charge. You know, the type of man that would murder his own mom and pop just because they didn't get a bowl of ice cream after dinner."

Brennan's eyes were deep pools of inky black water, stagnant and empty. He managed a mm-hm.

"We never did find Roger's body, you know, his father. Poor old man, didn't have any idea what kind of monster was living under his own roof. Honest man working an honest man's day then wham."

Brennan's thoughts began to wander as his companion prattled on and on. He was being put away from the action again. Off to baby sit Dani. Robert didn't deserve her. He started hoping that the hostiles proved too much for Robert and this pathetic band of leftovers.

". . . They've got the barracks now and the Staff. Probably the Flame and the Hydra as well . . . "

The fool kept talking. They were all fools – ignorant of their own mindlessness. He stood head and shoulders above them all. And they envied him for it that was the worst part. For that he was chastised, pushed away, seen as a threat. That was the secret wasn't it? No one appreciated him for his own genius. Instead, he was a monster to them. He couldn't trust them any more.

Brennan was rattled out of his thoughts by Robert's announcement that they were there. It was time to fill up their canteens and split up. Robert and Annie on to pretended glory and he and Dani off to live in Robert's basement. The hole. Get back to your hole, Brennan. You must stay in the dungeon, our guests must not know who the real intellect of the group was. The real leader . . .

The trio trekked through the jungle in silence. Montand walked in front followed by Danielle and then Brennan. Montand was worried about what lay ahead of Robert and their new allies. This wasn't their war. Well, it wasn't until they lost a man. He didn't feel like Annie had told them the full story. The way she had danced around the subject worried him. The first rule he had learned as a soldier was intel. _The likelihood of success hinges upon the accuracy of your intel_. That was what his Colonel had always told him.

Montand glanced back over his shoulder at her. "Do you need to take a rest?"

She looked back with eyes that roared with fire. Her manner was relaxed when she answered, however. "I'm good, let's keep going. It'll be dark in a couple hours."

Montand nodded and resumed the march. The surroundings were starting to get more familiar. He started feeling like he was almost . . . home. He shook his head slightly. No, home was in Tahiti. This island was not home. He would have to be careful thinking like that.

Pushing through a particularly dense wall of jungle, the group found themselves in the familiar clearing with the Black Rock. Montand breathed an involuntary sigh of relief. They were getting close to their shelter. There was an unspoken consensus to continue without stopping.

Soon they were walking next to the river. Montand turned to look Danielle in the eye. "I'm sure Robert is going to get Girard back."

Danielle seemed to be jarred out of her own thoughts. "Oh, yes. Of course."

Montand felt a tinge of guilt for breaking the silence. She seemed to be deep in thought about something. As he turned his attention back toward the trail he saw something in his peripheral vision that chilled him to the bone. It was accompanied by the sound of something large shoving its way through the foliage.

He turned and the primitive part of his brain screamed at him to run. He had the slight perception that Brennan was doing just that. He heard the splash, splash, splash behind him. A large animal with dirty white fur was closing the distance fast. His mind barely had time to register that it was a polar bear. Certainly the biggest bear he had ever seen.

He knew in order to survive, he should be following Brennan's lead, but he was pegged to the spot. He realized that Danielle still stood next to him. Without thinking, he lunged between Danielle and the bear and tried to get his rifle up. He was too late, the bear sprang up and batted him to the ground with a forepaw as big as Montand's head.

Danielle finally found her wits and stumbled backwards. She lost her balance and fell hard on her back, sliding partway down the bank toward the water. She still had her rifle clutched firmly in her hands.

The bear ignored the woman and took his full fury out on the prostrate man in front of him. Montand's rifle was thrown free in the first wave and now the bear was on top of him. He instinctively covered his face with his arms only to have the bear clamp down on his left upper arm. The pain was excruciating, but all he could think about was that after he had been torn apart Danielle would be next. He reached up with his right hand and punched the bear hard in the face. The bear answered by jerking his head from side to side with his arm still griped in his jaw.

Danielle pulled herself up in time to see Montand being shaken like a chew toy. She screamed and was rewarded with the bear's full attention. It dropped Montand into a pile of torn flesh at his feet. The bear rose up on its hind legs and paused sniffing the air. His ears went back and he made eye contact with Danielle. The bear exhaled loudly and stood still for a moment. Danielle could hear its jaw popping. The bear dropped to all fours and charged.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Danielle's scream pierced the air catching the bear's attention. It also had the effect of clearing Danielle's head. Montand may already be dead, she didn't know. The bear dropped Montand and stood imposingly over his body. Danielle steadied herself and brought the rifle up to her shoulder. She made eye contact with the bear and steeled her nerves. The bear exhaled noisily and stood still for a moment. She knew she had effectively one shot since the bear was too close for her to ready her bolt-action rifle in time for another shot.

Her finger found the trigger. The sound of the bear popping its jaw unnerved her but she stood her ground. The bear dropped and charged and she fired. The bullet hit the polar bear at the top of the snout. Danielle didn't wait to see it; she rolled awkwardly to her right and began the process of preparing her next shot. The bear stumbled to her left enraged but confused. She fumbled with the mechanism, her hands trembling with fear. The bear turned broadside to her and she fired again, hitting the bear in the chest immediately behind its foreleg.

The bear dropped to the ground in a heap. Danielle collapsed into her own heap and began sobbing uncontrollably. The sound of Montand moaning snapped her out of it and she rushed to his side. He was alive.

There was a lot of blood. The bone in his upper left arm was snapped in two with the jagged edges sticking out at a dreadful angle. Most of the tissue had been torn away and the arm was hanging by an insignificant amount of flesh. Danielle tore a strip of cloth off the edge of her shirt and began tying a tourniquet about the wound. She reached for a stick lying nearby and twisted it into the cloth in order to make it tighter.

Montand moaned again. Danielle pursed her lips and looked into his face. His eyes shot open and he attempted to sit up. Danielle was caught by surprise but recovered quickly. "No, it's okay. Just stay still."

He relaxed as well as he could. "Danielle, are you alright?"

The tears filled her eyes and she had to wipe them away. She grinned with a mixture of relief and sorrow. "I killed the bear." The phrase undid her. She tried to control the sobbing that followed, but it was a losing battle. "You saved me, you saved me . . . " she managed to get out. She leaned down and put her head on his chest.

"My arm . . ." His voice had a calming effect on her.

Danielle sat back up and composed herself. "It's bad."

He craned his neck to get a look. Meeting her eyes he said, "Good work. I need you to do something else."

"What is it?"

"It's not hanging on by much. I need you to help me cut it off." Her eyes filled with terror and she silently started shaking her head. He grabbed her arm with his right hand. "You are stronger than you think. You can do it. You have to do it. Even if we were in a hospital there would be little chance of saving it. We are in a jungle. Believe me, please." His voice was earnest.

One of Montand's prize possessions was a US Army knife that he kept sheathed on his belt. She unsheathed it and steeled herself for the field surgery. Montand clenched his teeth and grunted as she did her work. Soon it was over with Montand passed out from the pain and Danielle trying to figure out what to do next. She tore off another section of her shirt to wrap the stump in.

She wouldn't be able to carry him back to the shelter alone, not with how far along in the pregnancy she was. They couldn't stay there either. It was starting to get dark. _Now where did Brennan disappear to? The coward_. Perhaps he would return. In fact she hoped he would . . . and soon.

She couldn't count on Brennan though. She looked over at the mountain of polar bear that lay a few meters away and had a thought. She felt like she needed to cover her friend with something. It didn't get real cold on the island, but it seemed like a good idea. She had never skinned a bear before. It didn't need to be pretty, though.

Having primed the knife on Montand's limb, she didn't hesitate to slice into the bear's fur and through the skin. It turned out that she was a natural. It helped that she was tenacious. It was starting to get dark by the time she had the hide separated from the bear. She cleaned it up by scraping off as much fat and flesh as she could. She then laid the improvised bear blanket fur side down over Montand, careful not to disturb what was left of his arm.

She sat next to him and kept a lonely vigil over her friend through the night. It was past time for tears now.

"Have you attempted anything like this before?" Robert asked. He was sitting next to Annie in the dark. René and Annie's men were scattered in a near semi-circle around them. Most had fallen asleep with their rifles in the hands. The moon was just bright enough that he could make out the features of Annie's face.

She wore tragedy on her face cloaked behind a thin veil of anger. He saw something else there – determination. "If you mean a rescue attempt, the answer is no." She was slightly intrigued by his French accent. She had not been exposed to that many foreign men having lived on the island most of her life. "The hostiles do not take prisoners. They kill whenever they get the chance."

"The massacre? How did you and your men avoid it?" Robert was interested.

"We were somewhere else. It doesn't matter." She dismissed his question with a wave of her hand.

"You take them very seriously. You've had confrontations with them then?"

Annie looked into his eyes and realized how handsome he was. There was a strength there that seemed to draw her in. "We have to be very careful. That's all there is to it. They hide very well and they use that to their advantage. We've found that they are more likely to attack us when we are in smaller groups. We survive because we travel together and we never stay in one place too long."

"That seems, uh, to be different than one might expect." Robert said. Annie just looked at him. "How do I say it? You expect a group like yours to be difficult to hide."

"We snuck up on you." She allowed a small smile. It was the first one he had seen from her. It gave him a glimpse of her humanity.

"Ah yes, you did," Robert allowed. "So what is your plan for tomorrow?"

"There is an underground structure a couple miles to the west of our position. Only one entrance. There is a thick stand of trees about 30 yards from it. That will give us a chance to get close enough to feel out the situation. When we have cleared the area of any potential resistance on the outside, then we will open the door and begin the assault."

"Sounds like the making of an ambush."

"What?" She was incredulous. "But we have the element of surprise. They are not expecting us . . ."

"Expecting you to stage a suicide attack?" He finished her sentence. She didn't take it very well. She wasn't used to being talked to like this, he assumed. "Describe the layout for me. What are we walking into? How guarded do you think this place is?"

They heard a faint rustling noise coming from the right of where they sat. Annie sat up straighter and became more alert. She grasped her assault rifle tightly. Robert took it as a cue to pick up his own firearm. It was clear that the rest of her team had also heard it. "Probably only a boar," she whispered.

"A boar?" he whispered back.

"Let's hope it's only a boar." She motioned to a couple of her men to take cover on opposite sides of the predicted path of the intruder.

A shape moved slowly in the shadows. It was close to two meters tall. Robert squinted harder in the darkness. It was a man. As he stepped out into the moonlight, Annie brought her weapon up. "Wait!" Robert placed his hand on Annie's gun and pushed it to the side. "It's my man, Girard!"

"We are leaving now." Annie and her team immediately started loading up.

"What?" Robert looked at her in disbelief. "It doesn't seem wise to hike in the dark."

"We are leaving.," she insisted. "Don't think his sudden appearance is coincidence. It means the hostiles are here. They're close by."

René had ignored everyone and went straight to Girard. "Are you hurt?"

Girard was extremely disoriented. "Élise," he managed to say before he passed out.

"How is he?" Robert asked René in French.

"He's semi-conscious. I don't think it's a good idea to move him," answered René in kind.

"What did he say?" Annie demanded.

"I don't think it's safe to move him."

"You don't understand. Think about it. Why would the hostiles take your man only to return him the next night? It has to be a trap. Or they brainwashed him."

Robert was dubious. "Brain washing, you mean mind control? Absurd!"

"I know what they are capable of. You may stay if you'd like. We are moving out." Without another word she led her men into the shadows.

"René," Robert said. "Let's make him comfortable. We stay here for the night. If there are others out there, and that is becoming less and less likely, they have no quarrel with us. Most likely they will follow her band."

"Agreed." René began looking after Girard. Robert squinted in the direction that Annie had gone and could see nothing in the darkness. He shook his head and turned his attention to Girard as well.

"In the morning we will meet back with Danielle and the others."

Danielle heard her name being called and she stood up. Her surroundings were different than she remembered them, but also seemed familiar. _It must be the bear carcass_, she thought. She began walking in the direction of the voice. Before long she came to a dried streambed filled with a mixture of black and white stones. She walked out into the middle of it.

Gunshots rung out and she instinctively dropped to a crouch. She turned around and saw a body lying about a meter away. Looking again, she discovered that five bodies surrounded her. One was missing an arm. It was her team. Her hands felt wet and as she looked down she saw blood on her hands. She gasped and woke up with a start.

She was still sitting next to Montand, holding his hand. He was sleeping peacefully. There was a buzzing that unnerved her and she looked around for the source. She saw a swarm of flies on the exposed flesh of the bear. The sight reminded her that she needed to get Montand to a more secure location.

It would take several hours to get to the shelter. Where else could she bring him? The black rock was not far. But would she be able to get him there? She felt Montand squeeze her hand and she looked down at his face. "Thank you," he said. He started to sit up.

"Please don't," she tried to protest.

"It's okay," he said as he hefted the improvised blanket off of him. "I'm feeling well, surprisingly."

Danielle gawked. "But, but . . . " she stammered. "I need to get you to a more secure location. I was thinking the Black Rock."

"Okay. I agree. Where's Brennan?"

"He ran off and hasn't returned. Maybe he has written us both off," she said. "I will not be able to carry you, how . . ."

Montand cut her off. "I can walk, I think." Montand rose to his feet. "I just feel a little light headed."

Danielle wasn't sure if this was such a great idea. "But you lost so much blood, are you sure you can?"

"It would be worse to stay here, that carcass may attract more than flies. We don't know what other wild life could be present."

She slowly nodded her head, "If there are polar bears here, who knows what else could be here." Danielle hadn't considered that before.

It was slow going. They needed to stop several times when Montand started to feel faint. Danielle looped her arm through his to ensure that if he did faint, she might be able to help him lie down.

At length they came to the Black Rock. She helped him inside and did the best she could with the materials on hand to make him comfortable. She started to change his bandage and was surprised at how much different it looked from the previous evening. The healing process had started already and seemed to be further along than she would have imagined.

"I am going to return to the shelter and gather some more supplies. Will you be alright here on your own?" She asked.

"I think I'll be safe here, I just need some more sleep. Make sure you are safe."

She had left the weapons on the trail. She would be sure to pick them up on her way. Something also needed to be done with his severed limb. It didn't feel right to just leave it there to be desecrated with the bear hulk.

As she passed that point on the trail, she buried his arm under some loose rocks. The soil was too rocky to be able to dig any kind of hole for it. She felt as if she needed to mark the spot as well. Her shirt had already been shredded in several places for makeshift bandages. It was the only thing she could think of though to mark the grave. She almost felt silly for thinking of it as a grave, but in reality that is what it was. She ripped another strip of cloth from her shirt and hung the dark colored cloth from a low hanging tree branch.

What was it that Annie had called this area? The dark territory, that's right. The name seemed appropriate to her in light of the circumstances, she thought as she continued on to the shelter.

Robert awoke in the morning with a slight crick in his neck. René was still asleep. Girard was sitting cross-legged with his back to him. Robert went up to him. "What happened out there?"

Girard continued staring straight ahead. "I don't know. I don't remember. It's all like a dream. You reach out to it and it fades away before you get there. I dreamed I saw . . " His voice trailed off.

"What did you see?" Robert placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," he said in a fatherly way.

He blinked and looked at Robert as if just noticing him there. "Years ago, back in France, I had a wife. She died."

"I'm sorry." Robert had never known much about Girard and now he felt awkward.

"No, it's okay. It happened years ago. It's just that I dreamed that she was here, on this island. I tried to follow her, but . . ."

Robert couldn't really relate. His dreams, if he had any, were seldom remembered. "Well, you gave us quite a fright. We thought someone had kidnapped you." He chuckled as if to convince himself that it was a joke.

Girard was staring straight ahead again. "I woke up here with you." He met Robert's eyes again. "Thank you for coming after me. When . . how long . . ?"

"You disappeared two days ago from the Black Rock." Robert filled him in on the details of the search party including meeting Annie's team. They decided to head back and meet Danielle, Brennan and Montand back at the shelter. Robert was a little worried about Danielle. He had a nagging feeling that it was a bad idea to split up. At least she had Brennan and Montand with her for protection.

It took some time to figure out how to get back to familiar ground. Annie had taken them on a pretty circuitous route through the jungle. It was afternoon before they saw the Black Rock in the distance. They proceeded past it and on toward the river. The smell met them first – the smell of a dead animal. Robert stopped when he saw the mass of exposed flesh undulating with flies lying on the trail. He also noticed a piece of cloth stuck in a tree overlooking it.

"No . . ." René breathed.

"What is it?" Girard asked.

They walked a little closer and saw the animal's pelt with white dirty fur lying nearby. Robert cursed under his breath. "We need to get back to the shelter."

They nearly ran the rest of the way back to the shelter. Robert was imagining the worst. That they would get back there and find Brennan and Montand with somber faces explaining that Danielle was gone.

He sprinted the last hundred yards into camp and had to stop short. Danielle had been sitting with her back to the trail preparing some rations over a small campfire. She had heard him coming and grabbed her rifle as she stood up and turned around. A look of relief crossed her face and she lowered it again. She saw René and Girard come up behind Robert and her face beamed. "You found Girard."

Robert opened his mouth but struggled to find words at first. It didn't take long. "Danielle! What happened out there?!" He pointed excitedly back toward the trail. He glanced around the campsite. "Where are Brennan and Montand?" He came off as furious.

She studied him for a moment before responding. "Calm down, Robert." She said it in an even voice, but the forcefulness rivaled Robert's. He stood there and blinked. "It was a polar bear. It charged us. Montand fought the bear and I shot and killed it."

"What about Brennan?" Robert couldn't believe what she was telling him.

"Brennan ran off and hasn't been back. I skinned the bear to keep Montand warm and . . ."

"Is he hurt?" Robert cut her off.

"I had to amputate his arm, but aside from that and some loss of blood, he's fine." Danielle said it so matter-of-factly that he had trouble absorbing it all. He felt the need to sit down. "He was able to walk with me back to the Black Rock. I came back to get supplies for him."

"Well, in light of everything that's happened, it might be a good idea to take shelter there for a while." A thought occurred to Robert. "Wait, you said Brennan hasn't been back?"

"He ran off when the bear appeared."

"Well, we'll have to deal with that later," Robert decided. "Let's get some supplies to the Black Rock and make camp there." He went toward the dug out shelter and then realized his mistake. He changed direction and wrapped Danielle up in a big hug.

She hugged him back tightly. "Montand saved my life." Her voice faltered.

"You shot the bear?" He felt her head nodding on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you, my dear."

As they made their way back toward the Black Rock they stopped at the bear carcass. The sun was very low in the sky and it would be dusk soon. It was obvious that some animal had been eating it. The trees bore signs of abuse as well.

"What do you think it is?" asked Danielle, recalling the conversation Montand and her had had earlier that day.

René answered in his usual factual way. "I would assume boar. They have been known to be scavengers. See the marks on those trees? Tusks. We should move with caution, they can be temperamental."

Robert nodded with agreement. They found Montand in high spirits considering his condition. They would stay there for the time being. It would give them some tactical advantage if Annie was right and the others decided to attack. Something tragic had happened to her and her men, but he wasn't ready to accept her explanation at face value.

The forest seemed to be crowding in on him again. Another night alone with the shadows. The shadows that watched him. But he wouldn't let them get the better of him. He heard the whispers again and shrunk further within himself. They were trying to read his thoughts – steal his thoughts. He wouldn't let them.

Brennan crouched lower to the ground and placed his hands on his ears. He had spent the last twenty-four hours in the jungle on his own. The light was leaving again and he dreaded another night.

_It's Robert's fault. That oaf couldn't lead a troop of boy scouts out of supermarket._ He smiled to himself at his own cleverness. _They deserve what they get, falling all over themselves over him. Marching around barking orders like a king. His intelligence is a mere speck to me_.

He started laughing to himself. _Afraid of the so-called hostiles. Bah! They sound like people who would appreciate my genius. That will show Robert_. He imagined the look on Robert's face when he stood over him arm in arm with the hostiles. He could see him begging for mercy. _The fool_. Danielle would be his. She was too much a woman for Robert anyway. "Ha, ha . . . huh." _Montand is dead. Suits him to be killed by a brute like himself_.

"But Danielle might have been killed as well," he spoke aloud to himself. "No, no, she can take on a bear and live to tell about it," he answered.

"Who said that?" he spun around to look at the shadows that were following him again. "You blasted whispers, you can't fool me!" He yelled, shaking his fist at the world. _Those whispers can't make a fool out of me. I'll show Robert who the brains of this operation are_.

Brennan stumbled on, unsure and uncaring about the direction he was heading. He was heading north, making a course that would bring him to his fate.

"Ohhhhhh!" A moan broke the silence of the early morning repose of the Black Rock.

Robert awoke suddenly. "Danielle? What's wrong?"

She sat, grasping her leg in pain. "Just a leg cramp, it's nothing." In actuality, it had her worried. The pain was coupled with an enormous fatigue. _It must be the stressfulness of the last couple of days_, she thought.

"You're looking very pale, my dear. Are you sure you're all right?"

Danielle sighed in frustration and rolled over, turning her back to him. _So overprotective_. She was alright, wasn't she?

Morning matured and Robert's team busied themselves making the place livable as well as looking after Montand. Danielle stay in bed for what all agreed was some necessary rest. Things seemed very different now to Robert. Not only was another of his men gone, but his most trusted advisor was severely injured. At least, it seemed as if it should be more severe than it actually was.

"You're worried about her, aren't you," he asked Robert. Montand was sitting up with a new bandage around the stump of his arm. The contentedness of his voice was still surprising to Robert.

"Yes," Robert answered. "Is it that obvious?"

Montand let out a soft chuckle. His ribs still ached from the bear encounter. "Isn't it always?" Robert met his eyes in silent acquiescence. "I was thinking about some things."

"Oh?"

"René mentioned something about evidence of boar on this island."

"Yes."

"I think we could use some boar meat to round out our diet and here are the reasons why: First, the rations are not going to last forever. Second, Danielle is pregnant and from what I understand of pregnancy, she needs to keep her intake of protein up. You know, that may be the reason she is not feeling well." Montand shrugged. "I am no doctor, but if you think about it, it makes sense."

"I get it, you're hungry for some pork chops," Robert laughed.

A large smile spread across Montand's face. He pointed at Robert. "See, you want some, too."

"We're in good spirits," René noticed as he entered the room.

"Looks like we have a volunteer," Montand declared.

"Now wait a minute. What am I volunteering for?" René didn't like surprises.

Robert smiled at him. "I'm going to send you and Girard out to hunt some boar."

It seemed strange to be around Girard now. René didn't know how to talk to him anymore. What do you say to a man who had been through - he didn't even know what he had been through. Girard was a stranger now. Maybe he had always been. René couldn't think of anything he really knew about the man, but that had never stopped them from being friends.

René reflected on the friendship they had built. He had always had a mind for the scientific method. 'A' was always followed by 'B' and 'B' always proceeded 'C'. Girard did not think so linearly. René looked forward to the verbal sparring matches that often erupted between them. They were able to come at a problem from different angles and attack it from both sides.

Things were different now. They hadn't spoken a word since they left the Black Rock. Each had his rifle slung over his shoulder. René pretended to be deep in thought, hiding the atypical tumbling stupor that roared through his mind. In reality René ached to have what they used to have: the battles of wit, the camaraderie with someone of complementary intellect.

The quiet was beginning to become unbearable. He felt like he was groping in a fog. His mind phrased questions in numerous combinations of words with which he could break the silence. Every permutation seemed more and more ridiculous. He became self-conscious about his inability to speak. Girard was sure to be feeling the same uneasiness he felt. He would be sure to realize that René didn't know what to say to him. Then again, if he did say something, it was sure to come out in a patronizing way. Still, he felt compelled to be the first to speak. What to talk about? His thoughts came full circle and he thought of the dearth of information he had about his closest friend. The question burst out. "Have you ever gone hunting before?" Relief at finally getting something out was immediately replaced by apprehension that any conversation that followed would signal a departure from the natural friendship they had once shared.

His fears were unfounded. Girard seemed not to notice the inner turmoil that had been building up to that question. "No. My father was an avid hunter. He never really had the time to take me nor I the interest to go. You?"

René reveled in the chance to converse as at old times. "Nah. It seems to be a rather simple concept, however. You shoot the animal in some vital spot and it dies. And if you miss the more vital parts, you follow the trail of blood until it dies."

"I could imagine that working if you walked into a clearing and the animal just stood there waiting for your bullet. You have forgotten the whole point of the exercise. It isn't called hunting for nothing."

René felt his face go red slightly. He had been caught off-guard. If things were different, Girard obviously hadn't taken notice of it. After a moment, René could no longer suppress the smile that was forcing itself upon his lips. He reached his hand to Girard's shoulder and burst out laughing.

Girard continued as a smile crept onto his own face, though he had no earthly reason why. "It's not like the fair and your popping cork rifles at paper ducks."

A warmth filled René's chest. He reached his arm to Girard's other shoulder in an awkward man hug. Girard stopped walking and gave his friend a strange look. "Are feeling well?"

He quickly dropped his arm to his side. "Yes, quite. It's just good to have you back."

Girard nodded and they continued on their way. "It is too bad about Montand and Danielle. They could have been killed," Girard said.

"Yes, but she is a strong woman." René was impressed. "She had the presence of mind to kill the bear and then on top of it, skin the dreadful beast. Must have been the adrenaline."

"How do you explain Montand's progress? Was that adrenaline as well?" Girard pushed.

"Well, he is in terrific shape, he is lucky the brute focused all his attention on the arm."

"There is no questioning Montand's physique, René. But, I mean, this island – doesn't this place seem odd to you?"

"It's not much different than any of the other islands in this part of the world, why would it be?" René answered.

"Explain how a ship gets in the middle of an island. Explain how there is a polar bear in the _southern_ hemisphere. Explain the dark mist. How about the numbers?"

This was the banter that René had missed. "I'm sure there are logical explanations for all those things. Wait, what numbers?"

"The transmission? The radio tower?" Girard tried to jog his memory.

René gave him a blank look. "Help me out a little, what on earth are you talking about?"

"You really don't know? You're even further out of the loop than me," he teased. "How do you think we knew there was a radio tower on this island?"

"Ah yes, yes, the transmission. What was it? Numbers or some nonsense?" he asked.

"It was a series of numbers." Girard pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and read, "4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. They were repeating over and over again."

"Must be some cipher left over from a war or something."

"Why would it still be broadcasting? I think those numbers are the key to what is happening here. I . . ." Girard was interrupted by a familiar sound that chilled his blood. "Do you hear that?"

René's eyes widened. "Annie called it a security system."

"Whatever it is, we need to get out of here." They started running away from the direction of the sound. René tried hard to keep his footing, he didn't care to fall again. They could hear the sounds getting closer. Each time they glanced back they could see the branches of the trees swaying. Whenever they changed direction slightly, the pursuing fury would alter its course as well as if it were herding them.

They came to a somewhat steep hill. René felt impending doom envelop him as the entity closed on them. Then suddenly all he could hear was his own panting as he tried to catch his breath. They attained the top of the rise and collapsed in a heap. All signs of the dark mist were gone.

Girard was patting René on the arm and pointing. He glanced up to see what he was getting so excited about. There in a field littered with medium sized black boulders was a small structure with a red and white tower next to it. "It's the radio tower," René breathed.

Brennan stumbled out of the brush and into a clearing. It was daylight. He was unsure how many days he had been wandering, but he did know one thing. He was hungry. The occasional fruit he found did nothing to satisfy the kind of hunger he felt.

A man like him was always lean and hungry, ready to pounce at the opportune prey. A man who looked quite through the deeds of men, seldom smiling except to mock himself forever finding anything worth smiling about. Such men are never at ease when they behold one greater than themselves. Thus it was with Robert. The insult lie in the fact that Robert wasn't even aware of Brennan's inner longing. Robert was a leader because he was born to it, he would never understand those that had to work to get to the top.

Brennan stood at the edge of the clearing to catch his breath and peek out at the field that lay before him. There was always a special effort to hide his true motivations from the staring eyes of others. That force of will against the imagined bombardments of the outside world had kept him in a precarious balance. Left to himself, the balance was upset. Scarcity of enemies on the outside forced his mind to create enemies that were not there.

He felt his legs churn forward, propelled by a growing terror of the jungle with its penetrating eyes. He ran into the open field convinced that only there could he find escape from the monsters that lurked around him. He squinted upward toward the sun. His feet, suddenly locked together, caused him to trip. Hitting the ground hard jarred the shred of sense he had retained from his journey.

Lying on his back, he stared up at the sun again. The brightness of the light assaulted his eyes until it was blocked by a figure standing over him. His eyes grew wide with fear as the butt of a rifle rushed forward to meet the bridge of his nose. He slumped into nothingness, an abyss of blackness.

René pulled the door open to reveal a darkened room. The room was small and his eye was drawn immediately to the lighted panels on the equipment directly in front of the door. A red light blinked to his left.

The lights came on and René turned to see Girard with his hand on a power switch. Glancing back to the desk, he noticed that the red blinking light was now a solid green. A recording of the numbers heard by Robert and Montand were playing in an eerily mechanical voice.

René sat down at the desk and started looking through the different cassettes stored above the panel. "Can we send a distress signal from here? Can we reach Tahiti?" Girard asked.

"It looks like it will only broadcast whatever is recorded on these tapes. If we record a distress signal, I'm sure we could broadcast it," René answered.

"Let's do it."

"I think we should bring Robert here and get his input first."

Girard thought about that for a moment before agreeing. "Agreed." He felt more comfortable having Robert involved in any big decisions.

A large grin lit upon René's face. He hit his fist on the table. "Girard, we found the radio tower. It's our first step toward home!"

The two men pushed open the door and stepped out into the sunlight. René blinked a couple times and then looked at Girard in disbelief. Girard just smiled back at him and tapped the stock of his rifle.

Standing not fifty meters away was a medium sized boar. It looked back at them oddly, but stood its ground. "I guess hunting is as easy as you said. Point and shoot," Girard suggested. René looked at the boar and then back at Girard. Girard shrugged and pointed at the beast. René tentatively brought his rifle up and found the boar in his scope.

He squeezed the trigger and dropped the animal with one shot. It took several hours to cut the boar up into manageable sections to carry back to the Black Rock. René had some trepidation about being able to find their way back to their new shelter. He didn't pay too much attention while they were being chased.

He ended up following Girard. He seemed to know exactly how to get back. Girard kept his ear full talking about the tower and the numbers. René was too involved in carrying his load and didn't have the energy to debate.

When they got to the makeshift entrance to their new abode, they unburdened themselves of their haul and Girard followed René inside.

Robert met them. "You look exhausted. You must have had success then?"

"Yes, we found the tower," René said with satisfaction.

"And we brought dinner, too," Girard added.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Robert was sitting at his newly lit fire, prepping the team's rations for breakfast. It was about time to send out another hunting party. The last several weeks since René had shot the first boar had transpired in relative peace. Montand's arm was healing at a remarkable pace; the necessary bandaging was long since a thing of the past. He was learning to do everything with his good arm.

Moving back to the shelter had turned out to be good for morale. Each morning, at first, Robert had half expected Brennan to come stealing out of the foliage and return to camp. It hadn't happened yet and no one talked about him much anymore. When his name did come up, Robert could see the lingering aggravation in Montand's eyes. Cowardice was not a personality trait that he warmed up to.

No morning was complete without the "numbers" discussion between Girard and René. Robert smiled to himself and shook his head. Their conferences never resulted in anything but entertainment for the rest of the team. They had made the expedition up to the radio tower a common occurrence. In none of those outings did they ever come across another living soul. It seemed the rag-tags in Annie's army had just vanished into the forest. The abandoned radio tower offered little hope of rescue. It seemed the tower was only good for transmitting a signal, they hadn't found a way of receiving one. Several different distress broadcasts had been recorded and played in place of the numbers. None had led to any results yet.

It was frustrating to Robert because Danielle was getting closer and closer to her due date. She handled herself well, but Robert was worried about her. In his mind, births were to occur in the hospital with highly trained doctors and nurses overseeing the entire process. He understood that it hadn't always been that way; hospital involvement was a rather modern development. But he was no midwife and frankly the entire thing scared him. What if she started bleeding and he couldn't stop it.

He mentally walked through the scenario. She would insist on going to the radio tower, he would give in as always. She would stop right there in the middle of the jungle and hold her stomach. He would help her lie down and the baby would start coming out. Then blood. Then more blood. Her face would turn white and the life would seep out of her eyes. He stood suddenly as if to interrupt the images that were overpowering his mind.

He had to convince himself that his worst fears would not materialize. Danielle was going to handle the whole thing in her usual way. She was so independent! How could he protect her from all the evil the evil that was lying in wait to consumer her? He sat again and thought back to the feelings he had when he saw the remains of that bear and understood how close he had been in failing - failing to protect his love. He thought to the debt he owed Montand for being there when he wasn't. He thought of how he had wanted Montand to stay with him and had felt that Brennan could protect her. He was so wrong and yet she had known what it would take for her own protection.

Robert was relieved when he heard stirring from the shelter and the distinctive sound of the ladder lashings rubbing on the poles. It was Montand. He had developed a unique way of climbing out of the shelter with one arm. His grin was broad when he greeted Robert. "Good morning! What have we got for breakfast today? Out of bacon already?"

Robert responded with a sideways grin and returned his gaze to the fire. Montand recognized the look. "You've got the burden of the whole world on your shoulders again. Don't give up on those men," Montand said gesturing toward the shelter. "Girard thinks he can boost the broadcast signal. It's only a matter of time until someone hears it and finds us. We were able to pick up the numbers signal with no problem. The rescue ships are probably already on their way here."

"Yeah, it's got to happen eventually. I know." Robert didn't sound convincing. "I'm just worried about her."

Montand laughed loudly. "You're worried about Danielle? She's should be the least of your worries!"

As if on cue, Danielle emerged from the shelter employing her own invented way of scaling the ladder. She shot a look at Robert. "Isn't there any other island gossip you two hens could be discussing besides me?" She winked at Montand and grinned at Robert. "You don't need to be an old woman, Robert. I'm fine."

Robert chuckled softly at himself. "You love the attention. Admit it." She walked to him and he rose to kiss her. "I was thinking we should dig a hole over there for the nursery. What do you say, blue curtains if it's a boy and pink if it's a girl?"

She punched him in the arm. "You're teasing me."

He rubbed the spot. "Well you certainly haven't lost any of your strength. You can't blame me for thinking about you all the time. Your well-being is the focus us all our energy."

"Just as long as you don't treat me like a child. I can take care of myself."

Robert couldn't argue with that. He was certain that was true.

Distant voices stirred him from a deep stupor. They sounded as if they were coming from the end of a long tunnel. He couldn't be sure if they were the demons in his own subconscious or if they belonged to actual beings outside himself. He didn't know where he was or how he had gotten there; most of his memories were clouded with monsters both perceived and imagined.

He could feel a slight pressure around his eyes and realized that he was blindfolded. His limbs felt like heavy lead weights attached to his body. The increasing clarity of the voices frightened him enough that he dared not try to move. Awareness was returning slowly and the garbled voices began making sense to his soggy mind.

"It's time, he should be coming around soon," one of the men said. He was able to distinguish the voices of two men. As his mind was able to make more and more sense of his surroundings, his primitive fear began to be replaced with a more cogent anxiety. His practiced imperturbability served him well as he strained to hear the conversation without giving away his alert state.

The conversation had apparently ended with the departure of one of his captors. His mind struggled to understand the small sounds that were occurring in the room concurrently with the horror of being left alone with an unknown antagonist .

A deluge of cold water covered him and he gasped in surprise and then pain as his wrists worked against the bands that held him back. He attempted to stand but found himself unable to. He was now fully aware of the situation he was in: seated in a dark room bound to a beam at the mercy of an unseen oppressor's whim.

The blindfold was removed and he stared up into the face of man that had soaked him. His hair was a fiery red and he seemed somewhat slight in stature although the short sleeves of his shirt revealed toned arms. "Are you quite awake yet?"

He managed a quick nod. His breathing still seemed to be trying to catch up with his racing heart.

"William Brennan, son of Walter and Ellen Brennan, born in French Polynesia, graduated magna cum laude from Pierre and Marie Curie University. Botanist. You like botany?" The man gave him a smirk as he spoke in perfect French.

"What do you want?" Brennan's voice was almost a hoarse whisper.

"What's that?" He leaned forward slightly. "Oh, how rude of me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Todd."

Brennan pulled himself together enough to exude his comfortable indifference.

"I have a proposition that I think both of us will find mutually beneficial," Todd continued. "I believe you know a certain Danielle Rousseau."

"I'm listening," Brennan said with his composure restored.

Normalcy. It was a word that Girard had not planned on using to describe their situation. But here they were on the island closing in on two months and doing what he considered to be normal things. It was a common occurrence for him to accompany René or Robert to complete the chore of collecting fruit to supplement their dwindling supply of rations. He glanced over to René. It was obvious that he was still frustrated by their lack of rescue. Girard on the other hand had started to come to a certain peace about staying on the island. He had even considered the possibility that he would live the rest of his life in this place.

"It's getting harder and harder to find these things," René remarked. They were within 50 meters of the rope bridge but not within sight of it. The distance they went to find the most useful fruits continued to expand as the weeks went on. Girard often found himself reflecting on strategies of food gathering. He never shared these thoughts with anyone, however, because he thought he was the only one honest enough with himself to accept their fate.

Was it fate that brought him here? He could not deny it. The things he had seen and heard and experienced were testament enough. The monster and the Black Rock were both things that he had seen in vision before they were revealed to be materially real. The island was speaking to him and trying to lead him to some truth. It was only a matter of time before he would discover what that truth was.

He thought back to the void of memory when he had disappeared. What had happened in those couple days? He concentrated on the things he _did_ remember the day he went missing. They were exploring the Black Rock and he had stepped outside. An image flashed in his head – an image of his wife Élise. How did that fit in? It was as if a recording started playing in his mind. He had looked up toward the jungle and seen Élise standing there. He had chased her for a while and then . . . someone in the jungle. Robert had told him that they had found traces of him being abducted. He concentrated harder on the stranger until his features became clearer in his mind's eye. The man had had very distinctive red hair and almost a fox-like quality about him. _What did he call himself?_ Girard thought. The name was on the tip of his mind . . . Todd. "Todd," he mumbled to himself.

"What are you moping about today, Girard?" René had noticed Girard acting strangely.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking," Girard answered. "I think I remember something about the time I was missing."

"Well what is it?" René stopped what he was doing and started scanning the surrounding trees and underbrush. "And why are you now suddenly remembering something?"

Now that he had said something, Girard realized that he would have to explain. The words seemed foolish now and he struggled with what to say. The memory of Élise was too personal for him to share yet. "Uh, I remember seeing someone in the forest and I followed them."

"And . . . " René pressed.

"It was a man. He said his name was Todd and that he was part of the radio tower detail. He was English or Scottish. Uh, he was about your height and had a shock of red hair. That's all I remember."

"That is quite a bit of detail to remember after being blank for so many weeks. We should get back and tell Robert about it. Annie had said something about the radio tower when we were searching for you"

Robert had told him about the commando-like team they had encountered. "What did she say about it?"

"Nothing worthwhile, just that her people had built it," René answered.

"Could this Todd person be part of her team?" Girard wondered.

"I don't know, seemed like they were all together. You know, most of them were wiped out by the natives or some rubbish."

"Yeah, let's head back . . ." Girard started to say until he saw René gesture to be quiet. He stopped talking and listened. There was the distinct sound of someone crossing the rope bridge. "Robert?" Girard mouthed.

René shook his head and motioned for him to follow him to a vantage point where they could observe the bridge from some cover. They walked as quietly as possible to the bushes that stood between them and the bridge, crouching as they got closer. Girard peered through the greenery for a moment. "Huh." Suddenly he stood up and took a couple steps into the clearing. René was surprised at first but followed his friend.

Girard grinned. "Well, looks like you finally made it back. Hello Brennan."

"Robert!" Girard called out as they neared the clearing surrounding the shelter. "Look who's back!" The trio staggered into camp, René and Girard supporting Brennan between them. "Let's put him down over there," Girard motioned to René.

Girard looked up at the faces that approached. Montand had a hard look in his eyes and a clenched jaw. Danielle's face was almost emotionless with the look of someone who had been punched in the stomach. Only Robert had relief written on his face. Relief overshadowed with concern.

"We found him limping across the rope bridge," René explained.

"Get him some food and drink," Robert said simply. "Can you speak?"

"I became disoriented when the bear attacked and got lost in the jungle." This well-practiced line came out in a hoarse, even tone.

René went to get the supplies while Montand and Danielle just stood there glowering. The sight of Brennan's return brought the memories of the attack to the front of their minds. Brennan seemed to register their presence for the first time and the shock on his face was impossible to conceal. "You are . . . okay. I thought . . . I thought the bear . . . "

"We _are_ alive no thanks to you," Montand spat.

Robert gave Montand a disapproving look. "What could he have done?"

"I . . . I thought you were right behind me. I didn't realize what had happened until I had lost my bearings."

Montand walked away, not wanting to countenance his excuses with a response. Danielle still stood there like a statue. Her heart was filled with terror as if an unseen foe were hiding in plain sight. An image of the polar bear's eyes flashed before her as she stared into Brennan's. "I need to sit down," she said almost absentmindedly as she too walked away.

Robert watched her leave and René arrive with some water. "I have something I need to talk to you about," Girard said.

"Alright," he said a little distractedly.

"Over there," Girard said indicating with his eyes the silently gesticulating couple at the other end of the clearing.

"They're upset, I wouldn't worry . . . " Robert started to say as Girard stood and pulled him by the arm.

Montand noticed them coming and quit talking abruptly. Danielle followed suit and turned to face the men joining them. Girard spoke first. "I need to tell you guys something that happened out there."

"What is it?" Robert asked. The concerned look on his face deepened.

"I remember who it was that abducted me." He waited a moment for it to sink in and then told them everything he remembered, omitting the details about his deceased wife.

Robert gazed over to where Brennan lay and pondered the new information. "Do you think . . . Perhaps the same person took Brennan as well."

"Regardless, we should watch him closely," Montand said.

"Possibly could be some truth to Annie's story after all. No one has come right out to assault us, though. We have been safe here for over a month," Robert brainstormed aloud. "Let's get Brennan back on his feet and maybe he will remember something of what happened to him. Whatever happened to him, let's not give him reason to feel alienated. He may be a coward," Robert said raising his eyebrows at Montand, "but we don't need to jump to any conclusions that he's been compromised in any way. We trust Girard."

Montand shot a quick look at Girard and then to Brennan. "No offence, but Girard was only missing for a couple days, if that." He pointed in Brennan's direction. "He has been gone for a month!"

"I'm not going to institute martial law and start lobbing accusations at team members. We are all in this together," Robert said earnestly. He too looked over at Brennan. "The moment we start casting doubt on each other is the moment we sew the seeds of our own downfall."

He didn't mind the physical labor; it gave him a chance to focus his thoughts on the plan. It was obvious that he was being kept occupied because it was easier for them to watch him. He didn't blame them for being suspicious about him. They had no idea where he had been for so long and he was good at lying to them about his lack of memory. It wasn't difficult; most of it was a blur anyway. Up until the last part, that is. He was being used as a pawn, that was for sure, but he was well on his way to being queened.

He smirked at the cleverness of his pun. He expected to be queened all right. Whether she was aware of her status as prize did not matter but it would soon become apparent. And when his promotion was complete, he expected it wouldn't take her long to appreciate him.

Setting his axe aside he stopped to admire his work. The logistics were going to be pretty difficult, but for the most part his component of the plan was pretty easy. He had all the tools to make it work - those provided to him by his sponsors and those he was naturally endowed with. He just had to wait for the right cue. They had told him it would be obvious so here he was anxiously waiting, gaining back the trust of the fools he was forced to live with. It helped to know that he wouldn't have to wait too long before he got his payoff.

"It's good to see you back to your old self, Brennan." A voice said behind him. He turned to see Girard standing there with sweat on his brow and an axe laid on his shoulder.

"Yeah."

Girard set his axe down next to Brennan's. "Do you get the feeling that Robert expects us to be here a while?" Girard commented with an easy smile.

Brennan bristled a little bit. Girard had never been this friendly to him. His mind raced to discover what he had done to blow his cover. "He mentioned that you had recorded messages at the radio tower to no avail." He answered cautiously.

"Well, your physical strength is back, do you remember anything about your time away yet?" Girard asked casually. "You seemed to have that look about you."

Brennan stared at him, battling to conceal the panic that seemed to seep from every pore.

The frankness and intrusiveness of Girard's statement was unexpected. "What do you mean?" he said in a measured tone.

"I started remembering."

"Oh?"

"It was like a light came on and I remembered." No reaction from Brennan. Girard went on. "It's in there somewhere. Sometimes a traumatic event can trigger temporary amnesia."

Brennan felt the blood rushing to his face and he fought to control it. His memory flashed back to his teenage years when his parents had forced him to visit with a counselor. It angered him then and he felt himself becoming angry now. How dare someone patronize him and try to tell him how he felt. No one knew what he was thinking. He was too good to let them.

"I can still see his face vividly. I don't remember everything, but I do remember his face." Girard said, looking off into the trees.

Brennan flexed his jaw subtly, keeping his expressions in neutral.

Girard continued. "He said his name was Todd and he started asking me all kinds of questions about our team." Girard looked him in the eye and Brennan was convinced that he knew. He began contemplating his next move. He could kill Girard and return to the men that sent him, but they would not be happy and he would likely lose his claim to Danielle. Was there a way he could kill him and make it look like an unfortunate accident? Not with Montand still suspicious.

Girard found himself getting slightly dizzy staring into the abyss that was Brennan's eyes and quickly looked away again. He shuddered involuntarily as if he had peeked inside Pandora's box and shut the lid just in time to avert destruction. Brennan's eyes fell as well to rest upon the axe that sat against the stump. He walked through the action in his mind before he took it.

"Hello."

The voice startled Brennan, but he quickly recovered his wits and turned to look toward the source.

"Brennan is it?" The woman asked and then pointed to his companion. "And you are Girard, correct?" At the mention of Girard's name, the man that stood with her tightened the grip on his gun. He was holding it in front of him at a 45-degree angle. He regarded Girard coldly, his face swimming in mistrust.

"Annie." Brennan said nonchalantly. He then nodded at her attendant that was obviously acting as her bodyguard.

"Where is Robert? I need to speak to him." Annie said briskly.

Brennan didn't flinch. "I hear you two didn't separate on the most friendly terms. What makes you think he wants to talk to you?" he said, taking control of the situation.

"I've got something for him. Just give me a chance to let him decide whether he wants it or not." She was all business.

"I can bring you to him, friend. But can you tell your knuckle-dragging comrade there to put the gun away. Girard here is not a threat. I can assure you that he has been vetted."

Annie was agitated, but she did motion to her escort to relax.

"Alright then, our shelter is this way." The four of them made their way the short distance to the hole. Robert was there with Montand talking quietly next to the fire. "Robert, I found someone that wants to talk to you," Brennan announced as he entered the clearing.

Robert stood up and strode to the group. "Nice to see you are well, Annie," he said in English. "Uh, where is the rest of your entourage?" He wore an amiable smile. Robert spoke as one clearly in charge of his own sphere of influence.

She ignored his comments and drove to the substance of her visit. "I understand that there may have been some misunderstanding the last time we met." She glanced at Brennan as she spoke. "I want to give you and your people a chance to cooperate in the elimination of a common threat."

"Go on." Robert's smile dissolved into a more serious look. She looked at Girard with uncertainty. Robert recognized the mistrust in her eyes. "You can trust Girard and the rest of my men. I assure you that Girard has not been influenced by your 'hostiles'." He said the last word carefully.

She seemed to notice Montand's arm, or lack thereof, for the first time. "Looks like you've had a little trouble? Where are your wife and the serious fellow?"

"You mean René. They're close by. Oh, and Montand here found a polar bear of all things," Robert said. Annie didn't seem the least bit surprised by his mention of the bear and so he went on. "What is it that we can do for you, again?"

"We've come up with a way to eliminate the hostiles. It could pose some danger for your group and so we want to give you the opportunity to survive."

Robert raised his eyebrows. "Survive? What do you have in mind?"

Annie glanced at Girard again. "I'm sorry, but I can't divulge that information right now. I want you to have this." She tossed a walkie-talkie to him. "It's encrypted so you can talk to us without anyone intercepting your call."

He examined the device. "Okay . . . "

"I will radio you when we get our resources set up and give you directions to get to our bunker when are ready to execute the plan."

"You will tell me where to meet you when you are ready, then?"

"We can't afford to have any bumps in the road before we're ready to go. You'll need this, too." She tossed him a little notepad with a green cover on it. "This contains the key code you'll need once you get there. I'll tell you which page when you call."

"You must have been a spy in a former life." Robert wasn't kidding.

She ignored him. "I'll call you when we're ready. It's up to you to decide your fate." She shot another glance at Girard, turned on her heel, and disappeared back into the jungle with her man in tow.

Montand and Robert looked at each other and Robert shrugged. "I guess we wait for her call?"

Brennan spoke up. "She's obviously crazy, you don't plan to go along with this, do you?"

Brennan's concern seemed out of character to Robert. "Do you have something?" All eyes turned to Brennan and he felt the weight of their stares.

Brennan had to think fast to divert the attention away from him. "No, it's just that I don't trust her. And do we really want to get involved in their war? All we have is their side of the story."

"He may have a point," Girard put in. "If these people are as hostile as Annie describes, they would probably have just killed me and been done with it."

"It might not hurt to just go along with Annie's plan," Montand offered. "She may have some more sophisticated radio equipment at her bunker that we can use to get ourselves off this rock."

Brennan allowed himself to dissolve away from the conversation as his three companions debated. This was a new twist, but he had confidence in himself to be able to go through with his own plot. He wondered if this was the signal he was meant to wait for. In any case, this development seemed to necessitate him moving forward with his plot without delay.

Danielle watched Robert conversing with Girard from a distance. He had that same worried stance that she had noticed in him the several days since Annie's visit. There had been a lot of debate about what to do with Annie's warning, but Robert's tension seemed to stem from something else. He had been extremely distracted lately.

Living in the close quarters of the shelter had not been very conducive to their relationship. They had very little time alone and the time they did have was becoming uneasy. Lately, Robert seemed to be walking a line between overt distress and practiced indifference concerning the progression of her pregnancy.

He glanced over to her and noticed her gaze. His mouth became a thin line for a moment as he seemed to consider what Girard had been talking to him about. He nodded quickly and then approached Danielle.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Oh, looks like we need some more rope to finish the shelter improvements. Ah, Girard wants to head out to the Black Rock and get some from the stash."

"You're going to let him go?" Danielle was interested in this new twist. Robert had seemed reluctant lately to allow many excursions away from camp.

"I think it's important to reinforce out position here." His eyes fell to her abdomen. "We have to consider the possibility that we are going to be here for a while and with all those unknowns out there . . . Hey, I don't even know if it's Annie's team we have to be concerned about." He lowered his voice slightly. "We've had one, maybe two of our people taken . . ."

"I want to go," she interrupted.

Robert was stunned at first but quickly regained his wits. "Absolutely not." She glared at him. "Not after all this talk about Annie's people going to war against the natives. Look, this isn't like heading around the corner to the market. It is dangerous out there, especially now. And don't you remember what happened to Montand . . . what almost happened to you, it should be enough . . ."

"Stop it," she snapped. "Stop patronizing me. I can take care of myself. I'm not going to hide in that hole and hope that the boogeyman doesn't get me."

"Danielle . . . "

"I'm going with Girard to the Black Rock."

Robert let out a deep breath in defeat. There was no arguing with her. She would always get what she wanted with him. All of their arguments ended the same way. "Alright, both of you will be armed. Don't hesitate to do what it takes to defend yourself."

"I've got it." Danielle hefted her rifle and walked up to a somewhat surprised Girard.

"I couldn't ask for a better bodyguard," he quipped.

"Let's go."

The two hiked the now familiar path between the hole and the ship. Girard did most of the talking and covered subjects spanning from the numbers to the nature of Annie's worldview. It was a welcome respite for Danielle.

"It is pretty intense," Girard was saying. "The look on Robert's face was priceless when she tossed the key code book to him."

Danielle wondered about that. "So she wants us to wait for her call, and then what? Are we allowed to call her?"

"Yeah, she calls us and tells us where to meet her and what page the actual key code is on. She watches too many James Bond films." Girard chuckled at his joke. He began coughing and signaled for Danielle to wait.

"You look pale." She observed. She reached out to steady him and helped him to his knees. He was choking and soon was coughing up some blood. "Girard!"

He fainted. A rush of fear came over her and then intensified when she realized they were not more than 50 meters from the spot where the bear had attacked. She knelt next to his prone body and wept; the terror of staring down the bear brought fresh into her mind. She regained the presence of mind to check for a pulse and was relieved when she found it. She realized there was nothing she could do and began to regret her insistence on coming. Robert was right, she was foolish to put herself and her unborn child at risk.

"Hey there"

Danielle spun to face the unfamiliar voice. She reached for her discarded rifle.

The man held his hands up. "Whoa, I'm unarmed. I'm just wondering if I can help at all. Your friend, has he been ill?"

Danielle looked confused, "Who are you?"

The man was had a receding hairline and bulging eyes. He didn't seem particularly intimidating, but rather polite. "I'm sorry, my name is Otis. Has your friend there been ill?"

"No, ah, this is . . . he just started coughing up blood and then he collapsed here."

"Is it just the two of you, then?"

"No, the rest of my team is nearby," she said uneasily.

"Have any of them shown signs of illness?" Otis pressed.

"No we have all been healthy until now."

"The reason I'm asking," Otis began, "is because when my group shipwrecked on this island, there were 16 of us. Over time, they started getting sick. It started much the same way as your friend here. A week after the first symptoms started, 8 of us were dead. Oh, but they were the lucky ones. Most of the rest of us wished we were dead. I seemed to have some inborn immunity to it, but I was no better off. I was forced to watch all of my friends die in the agony of slow death."

Danielle squinted up at the stranger. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I met a woman on this island. I met her and some of her friends. She seemed willing to help us at first, but then when my group got sick she refused to offer any more help. She told me that a deadly virus had been created and cultivated by her people before they lost control of it. They were the carriers. It was engineered to kill off 90 of the population and it is extremely contagious. If this is what your friend is suffering from, it may already be too late for him. It doesn't have to be too late for you or your child, however.

"Watch your team closely, if they become sick you may have to use the means that I was unlucky to have available to me," he continued looking at Danielle's firearm. "It may be the only way to protect you and your baby from a similar fate. The only consolation we have is that the virus is isolated to this island. Could you imagine if some unlucky ship was to dock here and the carriers of this sickness were to leave this place?"

Girard sputtered and came to, trying to lift himself to his feet. Danielle turned to help him up, but when she turned back to where the man was standing, he was nowhere to be seen. "Can you walk, Girard?"

"I think so, I guess we should forget about the black rock," he offered.

"Yes, let's get back to the others," Danielle agreed with some trepidation.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Danielle struggled to help Girard back to the shelter. It was difficult with her advanced pregnancy and Girard's weakened condition. The encounter with Otis confused her. If there was a sickness on the island, why hadn't she seen evidence of it previously? She pondered that thought for some time, trying to wrap her mind around what she was told. She oddness of the exchange made her question the reality of the whole thing. The way the man had appeared and disappeared so quickly was quite unsettling. But what if he was telling the truth? What if bringing Girard back to camp was a bad idea? She couldn't just leave him alone in the jungle in this condition. They did have rudimentary medical supplies and medication.

"Danielle," Girard breathed. "I'm starting to feel light headed again, can we sit?"

"We are getting close to the rope bridge . . . "

"I know, but I need to rest for a bit."

"Ok," Danielle helped him sit next to a tree. She wouldn't have admitted it, but she was tired herself.

"You've been pretty quiet. You don't need to worry so much, I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe it's an ulcer or something."

That caught her attention. "Do you suffer from ulcers?"

"No." Her response unnerved him "Do you know something?"

She debated whether to tell him or not. It was not a comfortable position she found herself in. "Girard, when you fainted the first time, a man came out of the jungle."

His eyes grew wide. "How long was I out, what did he do?"

"It was only a few moments . . ." she shook her head.

"Was he alone? Did he have red hair?"

"Why are you asking me this, Girard?"

"Did he have red hair?" Girard was getting visibly agitated.

"No, he had dark hair and glasses," she answered. She reiterated her previous question with just a word. "Girard?"

Girard got a far-off look in his eye and paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I remember what happened when I was taken. I haven't told anyone this." His gaze fell into her eyes and he engaged her eyes intently. "I saw my wife. I saw her in the jungle when we were at the Black Rock."

Danielle unconsciously put her hand on his arm. He hadn't said much about his wife, but she knew that she had died young. She understood why Girard was reticent about the subject.

"I went after her, but she stayed just out of reach." Tears wend their way down his cheek. "Before long, I was lost in the jungle. I heard something, something frightening in the trees. Like the souls of those who are wandering neither here not there, looking for their rest. A man appeared, a man with red hair. He asked a lot of questions about us. He seemed interested in you and your pregnancy. There was someone else there; they took me somewhere. There was a door in the jungle . . . out in the middle of the woods. They took me inside . . . it's blurry . . . "

"Girard," she interrupted. "This man told me something. It sounds strange saying it . . ."

"What was it?"

"He told me that he, too had wrecked on this island with a group of people. But that they were infected with an illness that killed them all. He was the only one left. He talked about Annie, that her people were behind it. I don't know . . . "

"Danielle, have you noticed something peculiar about this island? There is something unnatural about it – something supernatural."

She felt the warmth of urgent tears in her own eyes. His last statement failed to register as she went on. "What if you are infected? What if it's all true?"

Both of them jumped as the report of gunfire broke the intensity of their conversation. It had come from the direction of their camp.

Danielle stood as quickly as her burdened frame would allow and shouldered her rifle. Concern furrowed her brow. "Robert . . . "

Robert struggled to overcome the heavy weight of confusion that muddled his thinking. It was as if his mind had been set adrift in a cacophonic sea under a thick rolling fog of confusion. He rolled his eyes opened. The sensation of vertigo was almost overpowering and he felt compelled to empty the contents of his stomach. He gained enough composure to survey the scene that lay before him. He could see the near motionless forms of Montand and René several meters away. He couldn't tell if they were alive or not. He attempted to rise to his feet, but resorted to a half crawl to Montand, the closer of the two. There was an intense burning sensation in his gut as if he would spontaneously combust from the inside out.

Montand let out a low groan and rolled over. That answered Robert's first question. "Montand," he managed to croak.

His friend turned his head to look at him. "The radio," Montand replied hoarsely.

Robert was confused and moved his hand to his shirt pocket. It was empty. Realization came like a blow to his already throbbing head. "Brennan took the key." He collapsed in a heap next to Montand, his energy spent.

He woke with a start, unable to know how long he had been unconscious. He was able to get to his feet and stumble toward the fire pit. A sound caught his attention and he cast his eyes around the camp. He heard an indistinct whispering coming from the trees. Apparitions in the shadows danced at the edge of his narrowing vision. He grappled for his rifle and swung it wildly in all directions. His speech slurred as he tried to call out for help. He forced himself into a crouch and backpedaled slowly toward the shelter. The heel of his foot came down awkwardly on a discarded canister and he lost his footing. He came down hard on his back. Sitting up quickly, he squeezed his finger down on the trigger of the rifle without aiming. The sharp sound snapped him out of his daze for a moment. Wide-eyed, he searched the clearing for evidence of a foe. All was quiet except for the reverberation of his gunfire.

A movement to his left startled him, he maneuvered the rifle in that direction and braced for the recoil.

"Robert?"

The familiarity of the voice gave him pause. He brought the weapon to bear before hesitating again.

"It's me. Danielle."

Robert dropped the rifle to the ground and began coughing uncontrollably. Danielle rushed to his side and saw the blood on his shirt. "My love . . ." His voice had a detached quality to it.

She held him in her arms and wept. "You have the sickness. You have the sickness."

Robert grabbed her arm. His words came out in short breaths. "Brennan. He has the radio. He took the keys. I'm sorry. I was wrong." He lapsed into unconsciousness again.

Danielle's mind swayed as she considered the implications of everything that had happened. She had spent the afternoon making the men as comfortable as possible. Girard seemed to be the least afflicted and helped as much as possible, but the exertion of the day had taken its toll. His was a fitful sleep, but it was sleep nonetheless.

Danielle sat at Robert's side, the tracks of tears well worn into her cheeks. The sound of his breath faded with the light. It was a lot to take in and she felt her insignificance as she stared up into the Milky Way. The night had lowered like a curtain, its darkness a contrast to the peculiarly bright lights of the stars overhead.

Robert had always been the rudder that kept her on a straight course. She had a tendency to let the winds of exhilaration drive her to the corners of the earth. He knew when to be her anchor and when to unfurl the sails. It was a difficult job to care for her and she knew and respected him for the effort. She was a free spirit and he was a worrier. His greatest fear was that she would be in trouble and that he would not be able to do anything about it. But he never held her back. It was a fine line that he walked and she always respected him for his willingness to walk it for her.

Now he would never see his child. She was sure that he would have been a great father. She imagined herself alone on the island with the baby. The despair was palpable as she attempted to hold the emotion at bay. She shuddered violently and buried her head into his chest. She was losing her battle with the anguish. Her heart was muddy.

She bolted upright, startled by a sound directly behind her. She spun wildly on the ground, rolling over Robert's legs and into Montand. Her eyes were wide with the fright of an unseen specter. The trees were completely silent, but she could feel something watching her. Then the sound again - a soft clickety-clack from the underbrush. The stars seemed to light her immediate vicinity, but the darkness at the edges seemed alive. It was as if a corporeal haze was swirling slowly around her and her team. Everything looked strange and the odd light played tricks on her mind. She stumbled over the prone body of Montand and then René.

She saw figures in the night, shadows conspiring against her, plotting her demise. Her heart hammered in her chest and she sought to arm herself. Rising to a crouch she turned back to where Robert lay. What she saw caused her heart to skip. Robert was also in a crouch. He held a rifle deliberately in his hands, a wicked grin on his face. One eye was in the shadows and the other caught the light reflecting from the crowd of stars. He was raising the rifle to bear against her. Time stopped. She clenched her eyes shut and screamed.

Nothing happened. She fluttered her eyes open and it was morning. Her heart was still pounding against her ribcage and she had to catch her breath. The four men lay as they had the night before. She was still by Robert's side. She surveyed the campsite and her eyes fell upon Robert's rifle. It was also in the place it had been left the previous day.

She went to it and hefted the weight of it. It felt good in her hands. Robert had taught her how to strip a rifle down in order to clean each part meticulously. She disassembled it and removed the firing pin, rendering the rifle impotent.

She felt utterly alone. Her men were sick and Brennan was a traitor. What had Robert told her the day before? Brennan had taken the implements that had been given to them by Annie. He must have used the sudden outbreak of the sickness to strike out on his own. She started to see a pattern. Brennan really was in it for himself. She struck the thoughts of that snake from her mind and focused on the tasks of the day. There was focus now. It hadn't been there before, but it was there now.

The little girl that had been there, the scared child that had lamenting over a loss was gone. She knew what had to be done. It was only too clear now. She was already one moving among the dead. Fate had not been kind, but it was fate. Who was she to fight against it?

She turned at the sound of Robert stirring. He was sweating again. She brought a canteen and wet his lips with it. He smiled, but her face was hard as stone. Standing, she walked calmly to her rifle and placed a shell carefully in the chamber. She walked slowly to the virtual infirmary. What if the man in the woods was right? They were infected. What would happen if they were rescued now? She couldn't let that happen. They were already lost.

Raising the rifle, she shot Montand square in the chest. His body jumped from the impact and he was dead. _Sacrifices have to be made_, she thought to herself. The others were awake now, disoriented. Danielle ignored them and loaded the next shell.

Robert moved painfully away from the scene, his eyes intent on his own firearm. He crawled toward it while Danielle paid him no mind. She methodically shot René next. The bullet found its mark and he too was dead. Girard managed to get to his feet, his eyes wide with terror.

She paused slightly as she got the next shell ready. She felt like she was on autopilot. She had gone too far, but the slope was slippery. Momentum had control now. Girard had his hands out in front of him now. The thought reiterated itself in her head, _What would happen if they were rescued?_

She raised the gun the third time and fired. Girard stumbled backwards and was dead before he hit the ground. Danielle turned to find Robert gone. She loaded her gun again and went to the shelter. She could see that he had dragged himself to the ladder. She carefully descended the ladder into the spotted semi-darkness below. It was as if she were in a trance.

A ragged voice caught her attention from the corner. "My love, don't do this."

She walked directly to where he sat. He was sitting in the corner with the rifle trained on her. "Please, I don't wish to hurt you," he said.

She raised her own rifle. "I'm sorry." Robert pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The veneer of her demeanor cracked and a single tear found its way down the side of her face. The sound of her rifle firing in the enclosed space of the hole almost deafened her. She dropped the gun and lost all of her composure. The shock of what she had done overpowered her. She fell to her knees and knocked the small table next to the makeshift bed to the floor. The music box Robert had given her for their anniversary tumbled to the ground before her. She gently picked it up and wound it. Her tears came unimpeded as the tune played. When the music had stopped, she was left in the silence of her actions.

Darkness was falling, but she pressed on unafraid of anything anymore. Exhaustion did not even begin to describe her state of being or her state of mind. It had taken her hours that morning to regain any sort of presence of mind and then still more hours to lay her team to rest. Her soul was numb from the starkness of it all. The exertion of digging graves would have been too much for a woman in her condition to undertake. The baby was coming soon. Her only alternative, taxing in its own right, was to drag the bodies to the rope bridge and roll them into the ravine. It was necessary for her to consider them just bodies; the alternative was horrible to even contemplate.

She came to the base of the steep hill that signaled the last hundred meters or so to her goal and stopped to rest. The fact that she was a lone woman in the jungle weighed heavy on her mind. But she really wasn't alone, was she? She had the baby inside her; a baby that she would be bringing into the world soon. She had both of them to think about now. _We need help_, she thought to herself. It was the whole reason she was here; she was here to try to get that help.

It was so very close. "We can rest when we get there," she said aloud. "It's not much further." She set off again toward the tower until it filled the twilight sky. Stopping again to catch her breath, she heard a familiar snickety sound to her right. She turned to catch a dark something in the corner of her eye. Suddenly a tree came uprooted 30 meters in front of her. She cringed as rocks and dust pelted her and then stared in shock as a column of black smoke rose up before her. They stared each other down for several long moments. Danielle could see flashes of light inside the dark cloud contrasted against the dark backdrop of the trees behind the thing. The faces of her team members flashed in the bosom of the menacing, shapeless behemoth. Her heart seemed to shrink within her and then the thing moved closer. Then it let out a loud siren whoop.

Danielle ran toward the door of the radio tower afraid to look behind her. Almost surprised that she did make it, she flung herself inside and slammed the door. She could still hear it outside making its awful mechanical roaring sound. She sat with her back to the door, waiting for it to be pulled off its hinges. Sleep overtook her eyes and she succumbed.

Some time passed, she had no idea how long, but the sound of the demon on the outside was gone. She rose to her feet and walked to the radio equipment that she had seen René use so many times. She pulled a tape from the rack and keyed it up. She grasped the microphone and pulled it close to her mouth. "That thing is still out there somewhere, we better not be to loud," she said.

She flipped the switch. "If anybody hears this, they are dead. I'll try to go to the Black Rock. Please help us," she said earnestly. "Please help us. It's outside, it's outside and Brennan took the keys." Panic started to well up inside her, but she fought it. "Please help us. They are all dead. They are all dead." She took a breath. "They are all dead, help us . . ." her voice trailed as she turned her attention to a howling sound outside. She was almost certain it was the monster again. "It's outside, please help us. Please help us. If anybody can hear this, I ask them to go to the Black Rock. Please help us, they are all dead, they are dead. It killed them, it killed them all. Go to the Black Rock." She toggled the switch off and hit tapped several buttons until it started playing back her message.

She listened to what she had recorded and then became slightly startled when she heard a male voice say in English, "Iteration zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-one". Her message started repeating over again and she tapped several other buttons in vain trying to turn it off. "Iteration zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-two." She gave up when her message started over again.

"Well, Alex," she said rubbing her belly. "In the morning I think we ought to go to the Black Rock and see if Annie's people hear my message."

Danielle knew the Black Rock would be the best place to wait for help. Going back to the shelter was not an option that she gave any consideration. It would be impossible to sleep there and it was not a place she felt comfortable giving birth. She dropped her head into her arms exhausted – surrendering to the sleep her body so eagerly craved.

The next morning, Danielle cautiously opened the radio tower door and peered out at the field surrounding it. Nothing seemed to be amiss and there was no sign of the column of blackness that had cornered her there. She moved as quietly as she could through the wilderness toward the Black Rock.

She had already decided that there would be the place she would have her child. It was sheltered from the elements and whatever else might be out there. Annie was the only one she knew with a radio aside from Brennan. It seemed logical to her that Annie would be able to hear her distress call and be able to find her. It hadn't entered into her mind that other groups might also be able to hear her message and know where to find her. I dawned on her, however, that Annie may not know where or what the Black Rock was. She thought about turning back and recording another message, but figured that Annie must know the island very well.

She finally reached the Black Rock. All she had with her was her rifle and a rucksack of meager supplies. "All this walking may start labor," she said to herself. That wouldn't be such a bad thing, though. She was eager to get the birth out of the way.

The rest of the day was spent preparing her makeshift home for the arrival of Alex. That was the name she had decided for her child. She had thought it would be a girl, but Alex would work for a boy too if it came to that.

Night came and went relatively peacefully. It was actually the most restive sleep she had received in a while. She felt completely refreshed when she awoke. The air was hot outside, but comfortable inside the dilapidated ship. They had stashed foodstuff in the boat and she figured she has enough for several days. The day passed without event, though during the afternoon rainstorm she had thought she heard the distant sound of Annie's security system. It was that sound that had begun her life on this island. She felt safe enough in her fortress of rotting beams.

The first hints of labor began the next day. She was completely prepared when the contractions started. She had realized that, being alone, she needed a contingency plan for when the baby came out. There was no one there to catch the baby except herself, so she had created a nest of sorts out anything she could find that was soft.

The contractions started to come more regularly and the sound of her low moaning filled the Black Rock. She had heard women talk about natural birth as a wonderful albeit painful endeavor. How much more natural than this could you get, she thought to herself. The pain did not trouble her; she had come to accept unpleasant experiences and discomfort as part of life on the island. A part of her did wonder about how the mechanics of birth would work with no doctor or midwife present to assist.

She didn't have much need to worry; she seemed to know what to do. She had started on her back in the position she had most often imagined being in at a hospital, but decided it felt more natural for her to be upright. She alternated between squatting and resting on her hands and knees. She let her body take over and decide what felt natural.

Finally the moment came and the baby's head crowned. She used one hand to brace herself and the other to help guide the baby into the soft mound of clothing. She pulled the infant up to her breast with the umbilical cord still attached. Danielle smiled as her daughter looked up into her eyes. "Hello, Alex."

It had been a couple days since he had returned to camp. He had heard the gunfire at regular intervals from his hideaway at the marked tree. It happened several hours after he fled camp. He was unsure what it all meant so he had given himself an entire day before he crept back to see what had happened. To his surprise he found no one there. The camp had been abandoned. The interesting thing was that all of the teams equipment was still there, only Danielle's had been missing.

He had been sloppy, leaving the canister there in the open. No matter, they already knew he was their traitor. The look of ire in Robert's eye as he turned to see Brennan's gasmask was conviction enough. Yes, Robert had grasped the poignancy of what was happening right then and there, but could do nothing to stop it. The injections were carried out in haste before he returned to Todd's cache to wait it out.

Brennan began to grow bored of waiting for Annie's call. It became apparent that her arrival was not part of the plan. But that turn of events would prove to be a godsend. He was sure to be rewarded by his sponsors for leading them to their number one enemy. Now he just had to be patient. He was used to exercising patience. He had waited for a long time to see the look on Robert's face as he betrayed him. But vengeance was not as sweet a dish as he had hoped. It was satisfying, but that satisfaction was fleeting.

That was why it became so necessary for him to construct another structure of delayed satisfaction for himself. It was the craving that he desired; nothing in reality ever tasted as sweet as the reward in his fantasy.

He flipped through the notepad with all of the key codes printed in it. Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to fill each page with a different code. He smiled outwardly, not worried any longer about keeping his psyche secret. Brennan mused about the paranoid mind that would go through such lengths. _They must have something really awful up their sleeve_, he thought.

Picking up the radio, he examined it for several moments. He flipped it on to listen to Danielle's message again. He savored in the hopelessness and fear in her voice. Soon she would be his. He would deliver Annie to her tormentors and then he would receive Danielle and an even greater reward.

A sound interrupted his daydream and he looked up to see someone slide into the foliage. He blinked his eyes and stood. The radio went into his pocket and Robert's rifle over his shoulder. His eyes never left the spot. He moved slowly forward, heart racing and mind reeling.

After several hundred meters, he found himself in a clearing. Before him was a man with his back turned toward him. He raised the rifle and said evenly to the man, "who are you?"

The man turned toward him. Brennan nearly stumbled to the ground at the sight of Girard. It only took a moment to recover enough to bring his weapon to bear and pull the trigger. Nothing happened. He dropped the rifle to the ground and began trembling. Noticing movement out the corner of his eye, he spun around to see Montand, Robert and René standing around him as well. They were all dressed in blood-stained shirts.

"We know your secret, now" Robert said.

"Wh-what secret is that?" Brennan struggled to regain his stoic composure and escape the piercing accusations of their eyes.

"The consequences will be severe." Montand intoned behind him as the quartet of men began circling him.

"They used you." René spoke.

"You've done enough damage." Girard stated.

The wind started blowing and it seemed as if dust were being blown off of clothing of those surrounding him. The dust grew darker at it swirled around him. The very matter that the apparitions seemed to be made of was being blown off of their bodies until nothing was left but a dark cloud and he was in the center of the storm.

The wind ceased and the cloud coalesced into a pillar of smoke standing before him. Brennan dropped to his knees; his eyes wide open in utter terror. The pillar took the shape of a gigantic hand, grasped him and beat him repeatedly against the ground. It seemed as though his limbs were being torn from him. He was getting dizzy from the careening and welcomed death as he rushed forward for the last time into the trunk of a tree.

The pillar of darkness tossed the lifeless form into the air and departed before it hit the ground.

Danielle awoke confused. It took her several moments to recognize her surroundings. She was in the Black Rock with Alex nursing at her breast. It had been several days since her birth. She smiled down at the baby staring wide-eyed into hers. Light spilled into the room from the fresh morning, speckled and new. It occurred to her that some noise had stirred her and the baby. As she sat and listened, the lack of any sound whatsoever stood out to her. Normally the trees would be alive with bird chatter.

She realized that someone or something must be outside the boat. Her heart rate increased as the possibilities coursed through her mind. Alex closed her eyes and continued to eating as if nothing were amiss. Danielle was in full danger response mode, however. She used her finger to detach the oblivious infant and covered herself. She placed Alex in the fiber filled wooden crate she was using as a makeshift bassinette and retrieved her rifle.

The dilapidated state of the vessel made it difficult to creep quietly to the opening in the hull. She cursed silently at every creak of the boards as moved along. Coming around the corner, she spied a man with his back to her standing about two meters outside the hole. She brought her rifle to bear and steadied herself before speaking.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

The man, slightly startled, turned to face her and immediately brought his hands up in front of him. He looked somewhat familiar.

He moved his head to the side without taking his eyes off the rifle and spoke to someone unseen from Danielle's vantage point. "Annie?"

Danielle relaxed her guard for a moment and then lowered her rifle when she saw Annie step into view. Several other rifle-clad men were also standing outside.

"I need to speak to Robert," she stated without preface.

"He's dead."

Annie blinked once. "So it is true." She gestured to her radio. "We heard your message."

"So then you know I am alone now. Brennan took the radio and the key, he is a traitor. You should be careful."

"We found him, your man Brennan. He was mauled pretty severely. He didn't make it." Annie noticed Danielle's belly, or lack thereof. "You had the baby, then?"

"Yes, four days ago."

"You've been here with an infant four days? How are you doing with food?"

"I'm almost out," she confessed. "But I'm quite capable of fending for myself."

"You survived," Annie agreed. She didn't waste any more time getting to the business part of their visit. "We need you to come with us."

Danielle looked at her blankly. "Now?"

"It's a couple days hike from here, are you up to it?" Annie had an uncanny knack for not answering questions directly.

"Yes, but . . ."

"Let's not waste any more time. How much stuff do you have?" Annie asked.

"Just a rucksack and my rifle."

She turned to the man Danielle had seen first that morning. "Steve, you carry her pack." She turned back to Danielle, "What are you waiting for, let's move."

Danielle was offended by her tone, but saw no other option but to comply. Despite the urgent attitude of Annie's crew, Danielle ended up setting the pace for their march through the jungle. There was little conversation as they hiked and still less when they stopped every couple hours so that Danielle could nurse Alex.

During the pit stops, the tension in Annie's demeanor was palpable but did not express itself in anything other than a look. It was obvious that she did not feel comfortable with the baby situation, but had some compulsion to offer their protection anyway.

The silent tension did erupt to the surface after they made camp for the night. Danielle could hear her discussing something in urgent whispers with her second in command. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but the subject was clearly about her and her child. Danielle got the feeling that they had expected to make better time and hadn't planned adequately for how much an infant would slow their progress.

The next day, the stops were less frequent and of shorter duration, but Annie still seemed upset about their protracted passage across the island. Danielle decided to breach the subject. "Where are we going and why the rush?"

"Have you seen anybody else on this island besides you and us?"

"No." Danielle neglected to tell Annie about the man she met in the forest who told her about the sickness. She didn't feel like explaining the fate of her team to this woman.

"Well, there are others on this island. We have to stop them. They are some very bad people and there have been too many innocent casualties. Some of my men worry that coming back for you was a risky move, one that could jeopardize our mission. We have already had to delay our plans too much, some are arguing." Annie gave her a forced smile and stood up. "Get some rest, we should be arriving at our rendezvous point tomorrow."

The next morning, Danielle awoke to a camp filled with a higher sense of anxiety than they had already been operating at. The concern evident on everyone's face disquieted her. The men kept glancing off in the distance. Finally Danielle followed their gaze and saw what all the commotion was about. She saw a pillar of smoke rising up about five kilometers inland.

"What does that mean?" Danielle asked the man hurrying past. She was ignored. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good she realized.

"Let's get moving!" Annie was yelling. "We need to get there before dark!" Danielle approached her and Annie saw the questions in her face. "I hope you don't mind marching straight through, 'cause I won't be responsible if you can't," she said simply.

Annie stalked away before Danielle could respond, but the statement did little to calm her. Nonetheless, she grabbed her pack and fell into line with the rest. It started raining early that day and the fact that it continued in a steady manner into the afternoon made it a difficult march. The mud was slick and the grade was steep, but none of it seemed to matter to Annie and her group; they pressed on.

Danielle had no trouble keeping up, the urgency in her benefactor's pace reflected in the rate of her own heartbeat and motivated her to push on. Alex was silent for the most part, but started to get fussy as the afternoon wore on. She attempted to keep her happy, but the infant seemed to sense something was wrong.

Suddenly Annie stopped. She gripped her rifle tighter with one hand and held up the other to motion silence. The men arrayed themselves in a circle, readying their own weapons. Dusk was approaching and Danielle started wondering if they had finally arrived. She took the opportunity to sit on a black rock situated in the middle of the clearing of knee-high grass. She figured that she might as well take advantage of the apparent break to allay Alex's discomfort.

As she tended to the child, Danielle heard something that chilled her blood: whispers. I seemed to emanate from the tree line. She clutched Alex to her tightly and then peered around at the men around her. They all seemed to hear it as well as they instinctively gripped their firearms.

"_there she is" "we need to take the child" "what about the others?" "she's so young" "take out the men first" "do you think she will fight back?" "the others mean nothing" "just be sure to get the baby" "brutal way she killed them"_

Danielle looked about wildly as she started understanding the whispers and appreciated the gravity of what was being said.

"They are going to take my baby," she spoke weakly, barely loud enough to be heard over the whispers. "No, no, no . . ." The tears blurred her vision. Alex was all she had in the world, all that was left of her beloved Robert. "You can't have her!" She yelled loud enough for Annie's team to stop and look back at her. She stood as if she were going to run, but stopped abruptly when the man closest to her suddenly grasped his neck and fell to the ground in convulsions. Danielle dropped to her knees and cried out, "Don't take my Alex! My love! My love!" She fell apart and fell into a ball behind the rock, Alex tight in her arms.

The clearing erupted with gunfire from Annie's soldiers. They were met in kind from the borders of the trees. Annie fell back to Danielle's position as each of her men in turn fell motionless to the ground. She fell beside her as a bullet smashed through her shoulder forcing her to drop the rifle. The battle was over but Danielle could hear the methodical discharge of weapons as each of the Annie's men received a bullet to the head for good measure.

She was startled when a man's voice spoke not two meters from her. "Annie," it said in greeting. Danielle jumped as a pistol went off at close range and Annie's body brushed her on the way to the ground. She looked up through the haziness of her tears to see her own rifle lying several meters away. She considered the distance and pulled Alex close to her bosom in preparation for action.

"We'll take good care of her. Alex is it?" It was bizarre how reasonable the voice seemed.

"You can't take her," she growled. Her teeth were clenched in preparation for what she knew would be her last act. She held Alex in one arm and stretched her other out to push off with. It was too late when she registered the boot entering her field of vision. Pinprick stars exploded into the blackness of her darkened vision. She felt herself land on her back. Alex was stripped from her arms as she willed them to thwart the assault. It was to no avail, her leaden limbs fell limp to the side. The darkness of her shrinking awareness crowded in on her consciousness until she knew nothing.

Her senses came back one by one. It started with the taste of blood in her mouth and spread to the earthy smell of trampled mud. Next she could hear the birds of early morning above her. It felt like she was walking out of a fog, her arms and legs laden with the weight of what had happened. Her eyes flew open and she sat up abruptly. It was daylight and she was alone amongst the dead.

"Alex!" she yelled at the top of her voice. The tears forced their way upon her and she sat sobbing uncontrollably for several minutes. There was no one to comfort her. The island seemed to expand with her at the center. She became aware of the dead in the clearing, then the edges of the forest out to the shore and off into infinity. It was just her and the island. The tears ceased and she stood resolutely on her feet, purpose flowing through her veins.

"_Whatever it takes,_" she thought to herself. "_I will get her back_."

After several days she of wandering, she stood before her shelter in the ground. It had seemed an eternity since she had stood in that very spot and euthanized her team. Descending the ladder felt odd with the absence of her protruding abdomen. It was another dagger in the heart of her acceptance. Standing in the coolness of the shelter, her eyes surveyed her old new home.

Her foot brushed something on the floor and she stooped to pick it up. It was the music box her love had given her for their anniversary. She wound the key and opened the lid. The tiny figurines danced to the music. She smiled as a single tear made its way down her cheek.


End file.
